BMT 506

Varying window sizes

     I chose to go to Burton Memorial Tower. I have always been fascinated by this building because the original designs for the tower were actually done by Eliel Saarinen, the same architect who designed my high school. His designs were slightly altered and then used by Detroit architect Albert Kahn to construct the tower that stands today. I entered the room in the door closest to the front of the room--there are actually 3 identical wooden doors on the same wall of the room. The first thing I noticed when I walked in was the piano in the front of the room, so I assume it must be a music classroom. There are about 60 desks in the room all facing front—walking into the empty room, they looked almost like soldiers standing to attention. The space feels larger because it is a long rectangle shape with (relatively) tall ceilings. Looking out of the windows, the room is at almost exact level with the tops of the trees and there is something uplifting about viewing the campus at this level.

     I noticed there were blackout shades on every single window. I put them all down and turned off the lights and it was almost completely dark—ideal for video screening. There is also a projector screen, two big speakers, a small podium, stereo, VHS, DVD player and of course, the piano.

Curved turn in the wall

Instead of having the walls coming together at a right angle, there was a curved turn but the wall was cut on both sides. This accentuated the place where the walls met and drew more attention to the harsh curve. The walls were painted brick and the bricks are big and heavy looking. The room feels very secure and sturdy because of the large bricks.

The full room

One of 3 identical wooden doors

      The back wall is painted crimson. Standing in the professor’s shoes in the front of the room, the red was all I could notice. Anyone else who was looking toward the back wall—someone performing, for example—would see that red wall. Red is the color people use to evoke passion and even anger—any strong emotion. Because it is a music room, I am guessing it is an intentional tool for the performers to be able to look at the bright crimson and let it flood their vision. The lecturer is also a performer in his or her own way, so it would be to their benefit as well.

     In my opinion, this room was having an identity crisis. The desks and harshness say large lecture hall, but the piano and chalkboards with music lines say otherwise. I am guessing it is a music theory room, but it definitely does not feel like a room for collaborative learning. However, I have never taken a music course here so I guess I wouldn’t really know. From what I imagined the music school to look like, this is not it.