Blog 2: Legibility, Identity

Collegiate Rebel Penguins

01/26/2016

CRPLAN 2110

Blog #2

       

There are a lot of different components to an area that actually define it as a “place”. Place seems like such a simple idea, yet holds complexities that aren’t really noticed at first glance. For our place, we decided to choose Ohio State’s Oval, because of its significance to our everyday lives as students, and because it contains the 5 key elements of place.

       

It is hard to say what exactly the oval’s main purpose is, but we can conclude that one of its top objectives is through the idea of path. There are many different asphalt walkways that cut through the Oval and connect the entire campus, almost working as a nucleus. The use of various different angles create shortcuts for the thousands of students that need to get from one part of campus to another most efficiently. Farther south of the oval we see the traditionalist idea of path, where there are dismantled brick walkways rather than smooth surfaces. The man made paths also do a great job of connecting the many different districts of our beautiful campus. The main oval can be considered a district in its own right, while neighboring the South Oval district which is also accompanied by the Mirror Lake district. Heading north, we enter the Academic district, where we run into classrooms, libraries, and research buildings. Our Oval does a great job of creating an edge, between the inner and outer world. The inner workings of the oval is for walking pedestrians only, eliminating the fear of being overtaken by a careless cyclist, skateboarder, or a multi-ton vehicle. There is also the creation of an edge with the use of the street (12th Ave.), that separates Mirror Lake and South Oval districts with student residence halls. The connection of nodes is prevalent, starting with the large, brick circle in the center of the oval, which connects the most important buildings surrounding the oval such as Thompson Library, University Hall, and Orton Hall. In front of our important Thompson Library lays the ever so famous landmark: the William Oxley Thompson statue.

There are many areas of the oval that we have identified as hard. To be more precise, we’ve concluded that the entire Oval itself is a hard area. The abundance of space symbolizes a separation between classes, elevators, and dining halls, to allow those to enjoy nature and use the area for more a recreational purpose. We have considered Mirror Lake as a definite soft area. We have seen constant efforts to improve the environmental sustainability of Mirror Lake, and until this is fixed, it will remain a soft area. We also identified the area of the North East end of the oval as a soft area. This can be considered a soft area because the brick sidewalks are broken and mangled leaving a vast area for improvement.

       

The Oval at Ohio State can be considered as very legible. It is clearly a connection of nodes and districts through the use of path, and can be seen keenly with a bird’s eye view. You know right away what district you are entering by the surrounding elements and the edge that is created by neighboring buildings.

The oval and its immediate surroundings do a good job in creating a sense of security and protection in various ways. First, the presence of State Police officers and campus security create an overwhelming sense of protection in the area. Secondly, the blue security lights are numerous and visible from nearly any part of campus. In addition, there are clear boundaries around the University’s property (for example, High St. or 11th Ave.) so students are aware of when they are no longer on campus.

       

As for changes, for the most part the oval does a good job of keeping a serene atmosphere. Small changes that could be made would be adding the element of color throughout the oval’s space. Adding color gives a more attractive appeal, and can also identify it as a sacred place. Other changes that could be made to improve the area’s traffic flow could be the addition of electronic crossing signals on Annie and John Glenn Ave. And the addition of a traffic signal instead of a stop sign at the intersection of Neil Ave and Annie and John Glen Ave (outside of independence).

 

On a separate point, the oval definitely has its own category of sense of place. The main brick walkway through the center of the oval gives necessary character and paints an image in your head that will be hard to forget.

       

Ohio State’s Oval definitely is the focal point of the main campus. It is the character of our university, and defines itself within this sacred area. Once you enter its pathways, there is no doubting where you are and why you are there. It is without a doubt the capital of our University.

 

Node

Path

 

Edge

 

Path

District

Landmark