E. Conrad Diao

Arch 212, Understanding Architecture

9/28/15

Response 1

DAAS Gallery, Mason Hall

This space is not a classroom in the traditional sense; it is an art gallery located on the first floor of Mason Hall. I think that a classroom can be defined as a space where people are meant to learn, and an an art gallery certainly fits that bill. There are other rooms in the same hallway which are being used as academic classrooms, suggesting that this small gallery was not the use the space was designed for. The type of education this “classroom” is facilitates is certainly different from a lecture hall or even a room for seminars. There are no desks, no chairs, and no screens -- just a warmly lit room with art hung on all four walls. The space is very small and it’s odd location in Mason Hall minimizes foot traffic, making for a very calm environment. The type of learning this space provokes is highly individual; no teacher will tell you what to learn (there aren’t even other gallery-goers to fight with for a good view), some might say the art speaks for itself.

The room is fairly simple; four walls, three of which are plain white sheetrock, the fourth, which faces the hallway, is curved and mostly glass. The exterior wall of the hallway is glass as well, allowing for natural light to enter the gallery. The back wall (not pictured) is also curved, giving the space a very soft feeling. The room is lit with warm lights, and the wooden floor and curved walls make for a very cozy art gallery -- an unusual association of space and quality. The gallery is tucked out of the way; I only found it by roaming around the building looking for curious spaces. The white light and white walls of the hallway contrast well with the warm lighting and palette of the room, making it really seem like an artistic escape in the very institutional and sterile Mason Hall.