Author: Elena Chodkowski

 

As a senior at Penn State I have experienced my fair share of interesting architecture here. I think the coolest building on campus by far is the Stuckeman Family Building, also known as the architecture and landscape architecture building. Although I am an architecture major and basically live in this building, other people agree that this is an incredible work of architecture. It was actually named one of the top 15 copper clad buildings in the world. The first time I went into  the building was during a tour while I was in high school and it is one of the reasons I knew I wanted to go to Penn State.

 

 

 

 

The first thing I noticed about this building besides its vibrant copper, was its curve. The curve it has is so unique and clearly distinguishes it from any other building on campus. On the interior, the building has a complete open concept which I think is one reason it is so appealing. The floors are completely open such that I can see the second and third floor from the fourth floor and vice versa.  This is a super unique design that isn’t present in many buildings. It has such an open and free feeling that makes visitors awestruck.

 

 

 

It also has private teaching and studying spaces for its users which is very convenient. Although the building is always very loud and full of life (architects are always working), there are many places I can escape and have privacy to concentrate on my work. Aside from these private spaces, the building has its own public library, as well as two public computer labs.

 

 

One of my goals before I graduate is to go into every academic building on Penn State’s main campus at least once. I mostly want to do this from an architecture perspective. I feel like experiencing all of the different buildings here could help me with future designs. Plus, I just think it would be cool. I’ve been in probably half of the buildings on campus at this point whether I’ve had classes in them or just think they are cool and want to explore. Any free chance I get I see as an opportunity to explore new spaces that I have at my fingertips.

Architecture. Widely known as one of the most time consuming college majors. As a fourth year architecture student at Penn State, I have been through enough of this major to navigate myself through the stress that it has to offer. I have had my fair share of “all-nighters”, frustrations while working, high stress situations and thoughts of quitting. Here are some things that may help to get you through architecture.

1.Manage Your Time

You will probably hear time and time again how important it is to manage your time in college. In architecture, time management is even more crucial. I personally manage my days by the hour. I make to do lists, schedule how long tasks will take me, and even set timers for myself so I know I’m on schedule.

2. Know When to Stop

Too many times I have seen friends falling asleep at their computers at 3a.m., trying to work on something. The truth is, what will take you 3 hours when you’re tired and not motivated will probably take you about 30 minutes the next day when you’re rested and have a clear head. Know when to say “I need to go home and rest, I’m not being productive.” More importantly, it’s okay to tell yourself you need to rest.

3. Take Breaks 

Sometimes I’m too stubborn to take breaks because I don’t think I have enough time to do so. Breaks however are sometimes the key to working better. When I take breaks I try to listen relaxing concentration/study music or nature sounds to make me feel at ease.

4. Accept Failure

Failing is a large part of learning and growing as an individual. In order to succeed, you must fail. I try to view every “moment of failure” in a positive light and examine how that moment can make me better as an architect. I’ve seen a lot of my peers get mad at critics or professors when their work is criticized rather than accepting that their work isn’t up to par and using the criticism to their advantage.

All architecture students know that this is a grueling and subjective major. There are bound to be frustrations and moments where you want to give up. Just know that you are not alone and every architecture student feels that way at some point or another.

 

In the Fall of 2018, Penn State unveiled their new renovated recital hall on the north end of campus. This $26 million project was a much needed renovation for the music students here at Penn State. I was able to get a tour of this building through one of my architectural engineering classes in the Spring of 2019. My classmates and I were taken through the building by the building director, construction manager, and some of the engineers.

So much precision went into this building in order for it to perform how the designers intended. There is a lot of math and acoustical engineering that is involved in designing a building like this. So many components can affect how the music being performed sounds in the space. This includes where the seats are placed, the materials of everything in the room, the sound panels, and their locations.

 

 

When I visited, the director showed us three 6 ‘x 6’ sound panels that are used during performances. Just to give an idea of how much goes into acoustical design in order to produce the best sound, each of those panels cost $10,000. Likewise, a particular door that lead to the recital halls rehearsal room cost $5,000.

From an architecture standpoint this is an incredible building. It offers a different look from Penn State’s typical aesthetic and will hopefully draw more people to the north end of campus. I encourage anyone who reads this to go check it out. It offers public study spaces as well as free concerts from time to time. The director of the building also encouraged us to come to some of the $5 concerts. The exposure and money would help the music program immensely and hearing music played in that space would be incredible.