Ninth International Conference on The Constructed Environment

Abstract

This paper examines two academic buildings at a major university in the U.S., both of which serve a widely diverse global population of students and scholars. Both are widely popular and offer a welcoming and hospitable environment. Although their design approaches are quite different they have qualities in common that attract users. In both cases the design team used universal archetypal themes as a unifying language that everyone could relate to. One of the buildings, a student union, uses the cave as its main inspiration. It is dark and features natural materials such as stone and wood and several fireplaces. It is comfortable and hospitable in a warm and cozy way. The other building, a research center with a community-serving ground floor, emphasizes openness. It features bright and tall open spaces and abundant natural light. The potential coldness of the white materials is offset by the presence of plants, and, in this case, water, instead of fire. It is comfortable and hospitable in a fresh and expansive way. The buildings were studied systematic through repeated observations over a period of one semester. Using Jay Appleton’s theory of prospect-refuge the author addresses how these two environments positively influence interactions between people by the positioning of places and the relationships between those places. Moreover, the author illustrates how the conditions of prospect and refuge, although in different measures and combinations, are present in both buildings and contribute in great measure to their popularity among many diverse groups.