Architects Honor Structure of Science Center

So you always thought the Science Center looked like a Polaroid camera? The American Institute of Architects does not agree.

The Institute awarded the Science Center a prize last week for architectural excellence in a university setting. Buildings at Brown and Yale Universities and St. Mary's College of Indiana also won awards.

"This is a case of exposure without exhibitionism," the jury report said. "The interiors are an appropriate science environment and the public spaces are pleasant."

Huson Jackson, an architect with Sert, Jackson and Associates, the designers of the building, said yesterday the science departments deserve much of the credit for the success of the building.

"They wanted to make careers in the sciences more attractive and wanted the sciences to appeal to the public in general," he said, adding, "The building was a good place to start."

Jose Luis Sert, dean of the Graduate School of Design during the 1960s, was the principal architect for the project. The building was completed in 1973.

Urban Structure

"This award is a particularly fine honor for a very fine architect," Michael N McKinnell, professor of Architecture, said yesterday, adding, "it's extraordinarily well-Jeserved."

McKinnell thinks the building contributes to the urban structure of the campus. "It does not stand out as an isolated monument," he said.

Refering to the building's interior, McKinnell said, "The attitude toward color and light adds to one's visual pleasure and makes it a very joyful building. It's a marvelous effort."

Ronald Vanelli, director of the Science Center, said yesterday that the architectural design allows an uninterrupted flow of traffic throughout the building. "The open arcade gives the center an aura of constant excitement," he said.

"You see the very life of the building, with people working, eating, coming and going in plain view. This is what gives it such charm," he said.

The design has some drawbacks, however, Lewis A. Law, associate director of the Science Center, said yesterday. "Back when the building was being planned, no one worried about energy because the costs were low," Law said. "This is 20-20 hindsight, but things certainly would be done differently if we were designing today," he added.

A large portion of the building's exterior is glass, which releases heat in the winter and lets in too much sunlight in the summer.

The Science Center uses a central air handling system, which means many rooms are heated when not in use.

Law said the building supervisor has taken steps to reduce energy consumption considerably. "Lighting has been cut back substantially and we are working on ways to regulate heat in empty rooms," he added.

"Still, the Science Center will eventually put a major strain on the university's budget," Law said, adding, "we spend a lot of time worrying about that.