Our first tour of this second week started at Foellinger Auditorium, which we learned was derived from the Pantheon. Foellinger is a large dome, which symbolizes a great space, as a dome is the best way to use the least amount of material to cover the most space. This Auditorium is a place we can welcome anyone to come and lecture to large amounts of people and spread great amounts of knowledge. Foellinger looks over the main part of campus and sits at the head of the figurative "table" we call the Main Quad. This table contains all of the buildings that sit on the Main Quad and allows them to converse back and forth, symbolizing the interaction between the many different disciplines of a university. Sitting at the other head of "table" is the Illini Union. This building was originally planned to look like an I in honor of our logo, but a small historical building that had little to no potential was in the way. Now, that small building completes the I shape of the union and has a few offices that deal with the major donations.
As we walked across the tour, we saw exactly how the expansion of the university has changed throughout campus and changed the architectural significance of many things. One of the major differences deals with the table aspect that the Main Quad offers. As architects were forced to expand the buildings to accommodate the growing university, they were faced with the dilemma of how to expand on the Quad. All of the buildings on the East and the West side almost form a straight edge that runs into the two "heads" Foellinger and the Illini Union. Almost all of the building come to the same height also, creating a sort of block that symbolizes the symmetry and the unity of the University, equalizing the many disciplines that all play a part in the greater whole. Another problem came with the erection of the Beckman Institute. This massive building that marks the farthest north point on the main axis probably creates one of the most controversial themes in a university. The Beckman institute was built with a single entrance on the south side. Well that doesn't seem too bad, until you mention that the Institute spans about two blocks east to west, almost acting as a wall to the greater Champaign-Urbana community. This seems to block other people out instead of act as a welcoming threshold that most universities have. Unlike most universities, the U of I has "thresholds" on two corners instead of on the main axis. One of the easiest ways to fix this is to build a new building in the space left before University Avenue. This building could act as a threshold that welcomes students and community members as well as an office building.
The other odd thing we came across involved the shift in the main axis. When the engineers decided they wanted to create their own version of the main quad, they were faced with the dilemma of continuing the axis that runs across the middle of campus. With Engineering Hall being offset from the Union, their only option was to shift the axis to the west around Engineering Hall. They did manage to keep some sort of order as well. The axis spans from the middle of one corner portion of the Union to the middle of Kenney Gym. Then it shits the the middle of the side portion of Grainger and runs into Beckman Institute.
