Personal Response: The New Academic Building
When considering the juxtaposition of the bold, modern look of the new academic building of the Cooper Union with the brownstone of the Foundation Building across Cooper Square, it was impossible not to recall the similar and yet opposite juxtaposition of our own Thomas Hunter Hall with the North, East and West buildings of Hunter. Perhaps it will seem like a matter of school pride, but I must say I prefer the appearance of our one anomalous building to the one of the Cooper Union. It is actually more of my preference for the intricate detailing present in older buildings to the solid, metallic planes and cold beauty of modern ones that makes me want to hesitate when contemplating the new academic building.
The bare steel and concrete that forms the bulk of the building, however much I may dislike it for its lack of traditional aesthetic, does serve a very important practical purpose. The light that reflects through the numerous windows, external and internal is so great that it cuts back a very significant portion of the money that would otherwise be spent on electricity. The elevators, which stop only on certain floors, much like those in our Hunter West, cut back on electrical costs and by doing so, also benefit the environment. Though the skip-stop elevators in particular may seem like an inconvenience, Cooper Union students at least have a beautiful series of staircases and “sky bridges” as their alternative. Hunter students on the other hand have to brave either the traffic clogged escalators or eternally dusty and dark fire exit stairs when an elevator is not an option.
Although the Cooper Union building is by no means my top choice in terms of the beauty of its outward appearance, I can appreciate the thought and hard work put into its construction. As with most forms of modern art, I find the meaning as well as the sense of beauty to be masked here, and it is the practicality of the structure more than any artistic impulse in its design that endears it to me.
