Purpose Through Design

Columbia College staff designs everything that they do on purpose. The motto is to create change, and this is reflected in every element of the schooling environment that Columbia attempts to create. The aura is undeniable. Each building that Columbia owns it most certainly redesigns to fit the character of the image of the college, to attract more students and establish themselves as the premier art school in the world. They make the "commonsense" decision to design this school as a contemporary art school might be expected to be designed. Location is essential. It is an obvious advantage having an art school in a hustling metropolitan area surrounded by museums, working artists, and of many kinds of culture. 'The city is your campus" slogan is an obvious one, given the diversity and amenities that this city offers. Digging deeper into the buildings of Columbia, it seems that this same aura of embracing metropolitan art/life and being happy doing your art continues into the arrangement and subtle characteristics embedded into each campus building. I'll look at the building I live in, 731 S. Plymouth Ct. This building is the former Lakeside Press Building, built in 1896, located on Printer's Row along with many former printing presses. The building is of another era, a beautiful piece of architecture, and Columbia uses this to their advantage. The building goes almost totally unaltered on it's exterior, leaving even the Lakeside Press' logo engraved in the concrete in many parts of the building. This lends itself to the resounding idea of diversity at Columbia. However, as we walk in the front doors, the Columbia image takes over right away. The Vibrant colors and interesting blending of textures are there. This looks exactly what a Columbia College building would look like. Almost too Colorful, inviting in a subtle yet completely obvious way, slightly unorganized, and I would push to say unplanned/unfinished, much like some of the work that gets done here. The front security desk is the best example of this quirkiness that seems to crop up everywhere at Columbia. The security desk, which in any other building would have an executive, elegant kind of look, has been plastered over with cherry wallpaper that anywhere else would be considered tacky. But here at Columbia, it's art. On a brighter note, as you walk into a dorm room there seems to be way too much space allocated for a community living room, however if you have a lot of music equipment this is heaven, and I would think that this "commonsense," or, not so "commonsense" decision was made on purpose too to allow for students who have bands. All in all, every aspect of design has purpose, and some aspects apply both purpose, and efficient function. Here at Columbia, these principles remain true, despite the lack of refinement, and at times, organization. The college makes up for it in so many other ways and I do like it here. Columbia has to make choices differently at times because they have to remember what a large student body they have, compared to other smaller art schools that seem to be schools of different philosophies, and I think they do quite a good job of doing that.