College of Architecture Newletter

Gould Hall Renovation

As many of you know, Gould Hall is scheduled for a major renovation in the near future.  I recently had the chance to ask Dean Bob Fillpot about the subject and here is what he had to say.

What is the Budget?
Presently: $9 million in hard costs.

What is the Program?
Defined by concept design I did for President Boren five years ago.  [The] program was determined by previous studies that had been [done] regarding different aspects of the college operations, together with thoughts on programmatic issues noted through one-on-one discussions with faculty and staff during my first two years with the college.

What are we gaining or taking away in the renovation?
            Goals for the renovation:

• A building that is fully accessible

• A building that complies with accepted fire and life-safety codes
• Improved air quality

• A facility more reflective of our profession’s mission and responsibility for the planning and design of the built environment.

• A gathering place on the first floor allowing for faculty and students to meet on a casual basis for discussions about any issues of student interest.

• An outdoor gathering place with seating, tables, [etc] … and shade to allow for its enjoyment the year around.

• Areas of repose on each floor to give students the opportunity to move away from the stress and atmosphere of the studio to a space of repose — a place for students to rest, outside their studios.  Also those spaces will be designed to accommodate student presentations, reviews, and crits. ([W]ithout having to do those things in corridors).

• New library:  The new library will be located in the one part of the building that is being designed, and will be built new, from the ground up. (Along with the library, the new lobby and gallery are to be in the all-new component of the building. 

• New lobby space that is to be designed and furnished in a manner consistent with other new lobbies on campus.

• The new secure gallery will be appropriate to the needs of a school of design, allowing for flexibility of lighting and space to accommodate the students work in a professional manner.  Also, being secure, we will then be able to accommodate traveling exhibits.  Also, the new gallery space will be a place that many on campus will want to schedule for receptions or small symposia can be comfortably accommodated.

• New classrooms on 1st floor, and, as possible, on each upper four.  Currently we are looking for three classrooms on the upper floors.  Presently planning for those classrooms to be fitted/furnished with classroom systems furniture consisting of continuous desktops with an integral seating system that will allow each student to comfortably seat themselves with total flexibility for positioning themselves at their individually preferred distance from desk surface

• Archival space — For accreditation purposes, we are required to maintain work for review by the National Architecture Accreditation Board.  Those accreditation visits come, on a normal basis, every six (6) years.  Currently, we have very little space to archive the very large numbers of the projects we must protect for those accreditation visits.  The renovation will include a significant increase of space dedicated to archiving projects for that purpose.

• Faculty Center:  Currently, our faculty are scattered about the college in a manner more conducive to chaos than to collaboration.  Collaboration is an issue seldom addressed in the physical planning of a college of the design disciplines.  With the intent of encouraging collaboration between divisions and between faculty, we are designing a faculty office center, bringing together all the permanent design faculty in the college, while, at the same time, allowing each division to maintain its individual identy.  A significant feature of the faculty office center will be the incorporation of a courtyard immediately outside the groupings of offices.  Faculty will be able to utilize for study, relaxation, or holding class if they desire.  Actually, it is the faculty that will determine the kinds of activities will be accommodated in their court area.

• Currently, with faculty dispersed throughout the cubby holes of Gould Hall and the Carnegie Building, there is no one place to locate any staff assistance that is convenient for all faculty.  In the design we intend to solve that problem — placing appropriate staff at the hub of the faculty center.
• An important feature of our design is our allowing for the opportunity of bringing hundreds, if not thousands, in close proximity to the entrance of our facility and our new gallery, on a daily basis.  Our location on the OU campus is ideal for that purpose.  Hopefully, each person who walks “through” the College of Architecture while going to and from the new Asp Street Garage will become curious about what it is that we actually do in the professions of architecture and planning.  That’s the paramount idea of the project’s design — [to] make it convenient for others on our campus to come into the College of Architecture and become aware of our professions’ relationships to the needs of society.  Once they become curious, they will open our doors and enter.  Once they enter the will see, firsthand, our students’ solutions to challenges to broad and narrow challenges we study in the built environment.  The most important aspect of the opportunity for others to come in and become aware of our focus is, maybe, just maybe, they will come to understand the notion that the quality of the built environment is directly, inseparately, linked to the quality of the built environment.  I feel that is maybe our greatest challenge (past, present, or future) — to educate the public of that reality.

What, if any, sustainable features will be used in the building?
In every instance, we will be studying and analyzing the possibilities, benefits, and downsides of opportunities for renovation decisions reflective of our professional responsibilities, for a sustainable built environment.  However, all need to understand and be aware that often the range of sensible choices is limited in a renovation project.  But, to the extent any choice makes good sense for the college and the university, it will be pursued.

How will the studios be treated in response with technology?
First, it depends on the quality of wireless networking at the time it becomes necessary for the final decision.
Regardless, there will be hardwired networking for some, if not all, student computers.  As I said, it will greatly depend on the state of the technology.  It’s changing almost daily.
Also, we will be working to raise enough funds for large flat panel plasma, LCD, or ??? in the vicinity of every studio.  Most likely those will be located in those areas designated for student presentations, crits, etc.

Will Landscape Architecture and Regional City Planning be moving into the new building?
Yes, those two programs will be moving from Carnegie.  True collaboration will not occur without gathering all our divisions under one roof, allowing daily communication, which will nourish our efforts to address the opportunities of collaboration.

Who designed the new building?
Five years ago President Boren asked me to study the possibilities for renovating the building.  Prior to that time I had studied previous programs which had been developed to varying levels of detail.  During those first two years of my appointment, I had discussions with the faculty, staff, and students.  So, it was with that background of inquiry that I began design studies prior to and throughout the summer of ’01.

When I presented to President Boren, we discussed five different possible concepts.

The architectural firm of Paine Bockus, (spelling?) in OKC was selected, back in the spring.  They are totally dedicated to helping make this a project to be held in high regard.  As the process moves along, I will be asking Paine Bockus to come in for a visit, allowing the students to stay up to date on what is happening, as well as, ask questions of PB.

Where is the building in the Design and Development stage?
Early stages – Presently concentrating on evaluation of building systems, approaches to the construction activities, and scheduling of the Work so as to have minimal impact on our educational activities.

There are rumors about a new Gaylord Journalism Auditorium.  Will we be able to use that building?
Yes, we will greatly benefit from the use of the Gaylord auditorium.  There is an entrance oriented toward Gould for our convenience.  It is going to provide “the best” of technology.

Why didn’t we doze the old building and start over?  Would it have been more cost effective to do so?
To whatever extent we are able to renovate, and update this building, it would cost two to three times that amount to build a new one.  If we can afford to update Gould in the manner we hope, I can’t imagine a new building serving us better.
PLUS, and this is an enormous PLUS, we are in the most prime location on this campus.  Few architecture programs are as centrally located.  As we move on into this century, with the public needing to know more about the value our design professions offer, and the need for us in architectural education to constantly encourage our students to get involved in their communities, there’s no better location for our programs than at the very heart of the universities.  So, you might say, as the near future passes, I believe our college’s location, in the center of the campus, will become an asset to our graduates that few other programs can offer.  No new building can replace that value — “There’s just some things money can’t buy.”

What will happen with the student while renovation is being done? (Due to the fact that there are potentially dangerous elements in this building.)
First, no students will knowingly be subjected to potentially dangerous elements — period. 

Second:  The project can be a wonderful laboratory.  What better laboratory for an architecture college than the construction process being done right outside their windows.  We will want to make the process as visible as it is safely possible.

As for convenience — yes, there will be some shuffling, but that will take place before or after semester starts and endings.  This issue is one of the prime reasons a construction manager has been hired.  Part of the CMs responsibility will be to keep us moving in the right direction, with the least amount of inconvenience, while the renovation is underway.

Our “laboratory” should be an educational and exciting process for a period of a couple of years.

Back to the first question on your list …  … what are we losing?
… there’s only one thing we hope to lose — that one thing is our reputation for being housed in the ugliest building on campus.