Throughout the ages institutional buildings have been designed to exhibit different messages that "the state" wanted to project. Power, strength and wealth were common with monarchies. After all it was important to show the monarchs importance and ability to construct something monumental. In a democratic republic, we have chosen a variety of images. In the early days strength and stability were important but these have given way, in some cases, to utility and efficiency. Part of this shift is the limited amount of funds available and the higher cost of labor. Still, there have been several meeting where the "perception of extravagance" has been a concern. It has been said that, "To show we are good stewards of tax payer money, we can't have anything that looks that extravagant." As a slave to function instead of fashion, I have often nodded along, pushing for extra square footage versus architectural fussiness. Of course no one wants a building ...
Reflections on the built environment, how we interact with it and the process of planning and designing from someone who grew up with educators, goes on assessments and tours and facilitates the planning process for many schools and other organizations.