Trustees Theater SCAD
Eichberg Hall SCAD
Telfair Museums: Jepson Center for the Arts
I have just returned from the American Institute of Architecture Students’ 56th annual, and my fourth, Forum. Held in Savannah and hosted by the Savannah College of Art and Design, this year’s conference focused heavily on historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and community based design. I felt right at home in Savannah because the city has kept its pedestrian scale and was very comfortable to explore on foot. The city has managed to preserve many of its historic structures, which is due mainly to the efforts and expansion of SCAD. To this point someone joked that SCAD is obsessed with carving their initials into as many buildings as possible. I got the impression that the city is doing so well because of its transformation to a college town, brought about by the formation of SCAD in 1978. Indeed with over 10,000 students currently enrolled, it has become a major part of the local economy.
I can hardly think of a cooler place in North America to study architecture because the city has rich historical architecture spanning several centuries and styles. Hailed by many urban planners as shining examples of urban design, The Oglethorpe Plan and The Savannah Plan were intended to provide a solid regional plan and strong town center respectively. James Oglethorpe, the founder of The Georgia Colony, envisioned Savannah as city that respects its agrarian roots through a series of squares. They become the driving organizational element and strengthen the connection from the city center to the rural farmlands and estates that surround it.
Oglethorpe laid out the town with meticulous care and a sense of purpose, knowing that the town’s unique design was tied to the success of the entire colony. Every action taken by Oglethorpe upon arrival in the colony was calculated to develop a new society based on the precisely formulated system of agrarian equality. [The Oglethorpe Plan. 64]
Forsyth Park
The map confirms the use of a square-mile grid for regional planning and the boundaries of the garden, farm, and village districts within the grid. The regional plan was designed to contain at minimum four square miles of town and gardens, twenty-four square miles of farms, twenty-four square miles of villages, encompassing a fifty-two-square-mile area. [The Oglethorpe Plan. 66]
SCAD Museum of Art
Historic Preservation was persistent throughout the conference. This was perhaps best represented in the opening lecture given by Christian Sottile of Sottile & Sottile, a Savannah based urban design firm working extensively in nationally registered historic districts. He spoke about his firm’s process when re-purposing rail sheds into the SCAD Art Museum [pictured above]. He addressed various issues that arose when joining the new architecture to the old “ruins” of the crumbling sheds, showing the exquisite details that they developed to solve these problems. He also went into great detail about the use of mock ups to test physical connections and full scale aesthetic issues. Later we had the opportunity to visit the museum and I was most impressed with the subtle material palate, and the integration of the old and new portions.
The Keynote lecture was given by Antoine Predock. Antoine’s work, which now spans several decades, is regarded by many [myself included] as incredible architecture. He is a master within the profession, but what stuck with me was not only his architectural work, but the way that he spoke of his other interests. Visual and performing arts, motorcycles, and film have heavily influenced his work, adding a layer of complexity not immediately apparent.
“Sustainability shouldn’t be fetish-ized; it should just be something you do” –Antoine Predock
This sentiment has been recounted many times by architects. My problem with it is that many of those who say it do little to address sustainability directly themselves. While it is a nice thought, the practice of architecture is not there yet, and the majority of contemporary architecture is little more than inhabitable sculpture. We need to do more as a profession to design truly sustainable architecture.
“How many of the great buildings paid attention to their neighbors?” –Antoine Predock
I was struck by this because I have just completed a studio located in the heart of Old Town/Chinatown in Portland in which issues of context were emphasized. Although it is important for a building to respond to its environment and context, good architecture goes beyond that. When I consider examples of great architecture that have stood the test of time; The Parthenon, The Coliseum, Notre Dame, Chartres Cathedral, etc. it is clear that these buildings have their own identity, they subtly respect their context and inspire those who visit them. They are the buildings that will be remembered forever.
The final lecture of the conference was given by Rusty Smith, Associate Director of The Rural Studio at Auburn University. Throughout his presentation he emphasized the importance of community and the value of architecture. Although I had previously been aware of The Rural Studio’s work, it was inspirational to see the scale of their current projects and the large impact that the program has in rural Alabama.
Savannah Waterfront
I really enjoyed Savannah. Its residents were welcoming, its streets were walkable, and its parks, waterfront, and architecture were beautiful. Most importantly, its community was vibrant. I hope that I will have the privilege to return.