In class we had two representatives from Capital Planning talk about two major projects going on at BGSU, the Wolfe Center and the Stroh Center. In a few aspects, I can see their jobs as being incredibly rewarding. They get to see huge project go from the design table all the way to completion. Because I’m an Environmental major, a lot of the things I’m working with, particularly global warming and energy conservation, really have no end product that I can stand next to and look at. If I single-handedly saved the planet from global warming, the world will look the exact same and most people in the world could question if I really did anything at all. That’s why I’m jealous of architects. They actually make something. They can actually touch the thing that they dreamed of and spent years working on. Other people can see there product and marvel at it; even at a glance.
But its not all glorious, they were sure to tell us. The project managers assured us that they’re often frustrated at a variety of things. Delays, beaucracy, changes, mistakes, people constantly adding their two cents; that can really get to a person after awhile. One of the most memorable things I learned is that you can’t rush time money and quality all at once. The manager can make something great, and in record time, but it’s going to cost him. I also found the multi-contract method very interesting. In Ohio, a public organization (like the university) is allowed to contract out all the different aspects of a project to entirely different entities. I think this not only creates a communications headache, but as the representative said in class, it probably costs more in the long run.
I’ve chosen to compare the Stroh Center to Auburn’s new basketball arena. I think the most obvious difference is that Auburn’s was designed to “seamlessly blend into the acclaimed aesthetics of the Auburn Campus”. BGSU apparently chose to go stick out like a sore thumb approach. It has the basic exterior angles of a Wal-Mart, with the exception of the main entrance which was upgraded to look like a cross between an airport terminal and a Dick’s Sporting Goods. Auburn’s arena seats about twice as many people (9,600), but at $92 million it cost about twice as much as the Stroh’s $40 million. The only win that I can find for the Stroh is that is going to be LEED certified.
On the other hand, BG’s Wolfe Center seems to be better than Owens new Center for the Fine and Performing Arts. I actually went to Owens for a couple semesters when the center was brand new. The building was horribly designed and the they seemed to take every shortcut they could. The theater’s shop was reduced to just a quarter of what it was on the design table. The area above the stage where the background flys are hidden was dropped by twenty feet, making it useless because the would visibly hang down over the stage. The sound-booth and spotlights were placed in the perfectly wrong location. I was very pleased when the project manager of the the Wolfe Center said that they were working with theater department to make it perfect for the students to learn in. If I had a theater as nice as this one to learn in, I probably would have stayed in theater throughout college.