Tadian
Alan Tadian
Professor Pavesich
Humanities and Writing 011
6 October 2011
The Front Lawn
To say that architects of built space do not have intentions when designing their work is absurd. How can somebody construct something for the satisfaction of it simply being there? The only example that comes to mind is the communist structures in the later half of the twentieth that were created to operate as buildings with simplistic designs. Regardless, the dull, similar-looking communist buildings might represent the communist ideal of social equality. With respect to the majority of western architecture, architects strive to be masters of visual rhetoric. The structure’s appearance in most cases serves as the primary tool for persuading one’s audience, but there are many other aspects of visual rhetoric to consider. The location of a structure influences the behavior of the people they interact with it. The way the space is shaped, its height, its color, and its layout all are dedicated to the rhetor’s intent and the well being of the people it affects. In “The Ethical Function of Architecture” by Karsten Harries, he states that for architecture, “the human being is indeed the measure of all things” (180). With this in mind, we know that architects use space to serve as a function to persuade us to act and to feel a certain way. At Georgetown, there are spaces that serve purposes beyond educational facilities. The front lawn and the structures that it contains develop a logos that is felt by the people that encompass it while serving as an open space that encourages social dynamics.
The layout of the lawn implies that there is an exigence to communicate with others. When you first walk in through the front gates, your first look is up. Why? Harries suggests that humans are impressed by vertical height and are awed at its presence. If you were to explore this idea further, what else would you look at if you walked through the front gates? Healy Hall stands out not only because it is the largest structure on campus, but it is strikingly unique relative to it surroundings. Having a demanding building in this space gives the area legitimacy. It is not likely for people to walk through the lawn and not revere the atmosphere. Healy Hall allows the architect to manipulate his design in order to convey a message. The open fields represent this idea of the sharing of ideas. This is no what makes the front lawns a place to communicate. When you walk towards the statue of the founder, John Carroll, you notice that there are four different directions that lead into the flowerbed that contains the statue. The different pathways represent the different ideas that people share with each other. Those pathways come together to form the circle in which John Carroll rests, symbolizing the Georgetown University community. The combination of the individual perspectives make up this cluster or in this case circle of ideas that are in perfect alignment with John Carroll’s message of forming a single environment for learning. This exigence is the different pathways forcing people together. The architect is saying that he wants people to interact and to share themselves with others because it is a common goal that is shared amongst the campus.
The open spaces allow humans to behave freely. As apposed the library or a classroom, the open spaces on the lawn allow people to the ability to act in a way they normally would not. Its vast amount of free space encourages people to be themselves and does not let other influences affect the nature of the area. The benches also serve as a mode to encouraging these social dynamics throughout the area. The benches are placed closely together so people are in a sense forced to talk to one another. This allows people to feel comfortable in the environment that they are in. The benches also allow people to observe the scenery and taken in other people’s thoughts and feelings. The space suggests this feeling of openness not only in a literal sense, but also in an intellectual sense. The library serves as a place for intellectual learning, but that is individual. A university is a discourse of ideas. The more spaces that offer this type of behavior better enhance the life of the students at the university. Students do not walk through the lawn closed off or depressed rather they are looking for opportunity or somebody to talk to. People can be themselves in such an open environment.
People function on the lawn according to what they are doing. I spent some time observing the conversations, groups, and communal environment of the front lawn this past weekend. Each group had their own specific objectives while they were there. I say they had objectives because they would not just be on the lawn for no reason, similar to the reason why an architect would not build something just to build it. The first group I came across was a mixed group of men and women in Chimes. They were rehearsing something, I wasn’t sure what it was, but they would stop every line and correct something. They would be taking notes, asking for other people’s opinions, and even argue with each other over what sounds better. This first example demonstrates the discourse that takes place in the space. Not only can the group go back and forth, but they can make progress and learn from each other. It is a unique space in the fact that it allows groups of people to come together under a common goal of learning something that they may or may not have already known. This idea is not necessarily special to just Georgetown, but the immense diversity allows this space to be more effective. The next person I came across was sitting by himself. He was curled up under a tree reading Willa Cather. He stood out to me because he was one of the only few people who had been by themselves. He also stood out because he looked angry and did not look as if he were enjoying himself. His oddness perplexed me because he had been so different from everybody else that there had to be something about him that was causing me to feel this way about him. The fact that he was doing his own thing, by himself, without being distracted by the Chimes group amazed me. I realized that his ability to block out the rest of his surroundings was simply his way of expressing his freedom to do as he pleased on the lawn. The Chimes group had expressed their freedom of actions through their discourse, but the man reading the book expressed himself by using himself only.
The front lawn inspires a spirit that permeates throughout the entire community. The freedom to express ideas is rare in our world today. It might be overlooked by the fact that we are blessed with many universities throughout our country, but Georgetown is special because of its unique discourse that stems from its incredible diversity. The pathways lead into the statue of John Carroll symbolizing this idea of a collection of ideas forming into one community. All students, faculty, and public can enjoy the freedom that is prevalent throughout the entire landscape of the space. There is no place in the Georgetown community that comes close to promoting the same type of acceptance and freedom that the front lawn does. It is the ideal image of Georgetown and it is the first thing that people see when they first come to campus. Georgetown is unique because of its capability to express ideas to its entire community.
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