Surprise, surprise – the new Armstrong Student Center will be built out of … wait for it: red brick! Before seeing any photos or drawings of what the building will look like, any student could guess that the new student center would feature a brick exterior with an off-white trim. This is the style that architects call "Georgian Revival Architecture" and of which Miami University cannot seem to get enough. It's getting old; people want to go to college in a technologically advanced and trendy environment – not something from the 19th century. Save that for museums.
Four major Ohio universities south of I-70, Ohio University, Miami University, the University of Cincinnati and the Ohio State University, were all founded during the 19th century. However, OU and MU are the only buildings that still build in the same style that was popular when the colleges were founded. Are UC or OSU any less historic since they build in more modern architectural styles?
In 1989, UC enacted their master plan, which included multiple famous architects to build notable buildings on UC's main campus. Architects like Frank Gehry, Michael Graves and the firm Morphosis designed the Vontz Center for Molecular Studies, the Engineering Research Center and the shiny new Campus Recreation Center, respectively. The UC master plan allows students and visitors a visual fieldtrip through what the brilliant architectural minds that make up their generation are doing today with technology, materials and current issues at hand, like sustainability. UC honors its history by restoring some of the historical buildings, while embracing the present by building in a style that reflects the architectural trends of today. The result is a literal timeline of styles since the inception of the university.
Miami's campus is undoubtedly beautiful – the fall colors are coming in and fallen leaves will soon be dotting the fading green grass. On a crisp, overcast day, the sight of the reds, ambers and faded green colors against a canvas of red brick buildings and a grey sky is a sight not easily beaten. But imagine if the automobiles of today still had the same look that they had 50 years ago? One would ask, "Don't designers have anything different to offer?" The buildings on campus become so plain that students and visitors begin to overlook them – they become part of the landscape. Step up Miami architects and let's have some more innovative architecture. We could use some Steven Holl or Peter Bohlin.
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