Bad Design at Bucknell — Patios and Balconies
What better way to take in the scenic beauty of Bucknell’s campus and all the emphasis placed on open spaces than sitting on a nice, overlooking patio? Fortunately, this idea was recognized by designers in the construction of many buildings across campus, as there are quite a few patios to enjoy. Unfortunately, enjoying these patios is near impossible, as they’re almost entirely unreachable.
Dana Patio
Let’s start off with the most blatant example of unreachability — the patio located in the Dana Engineering building. As you can see below, a truly beautiful garden area to enjoy a lunch or just grab a breath of fresh air between classes; a place to relax, speak with friends, or even take a phone call. Maybe even give a presentation! Except the doors you see pictured are the only doors to access this area, which wouldn’t be a problem if they were easily accessible at any time of the day. However, these doors happen to be located in the back of a heavily used classroom, requiring anyone who wishes to use this patio walk in front of a class and through the doors. Given that I’ve never once seen anyone use this patio, I can fairly assume that no one does.
I’m not even sure if there’s a possible remedy for this. How does this happen?
ELC Patio
The next example of this same idea of unreachability is the patio outside of the Elaine Langone Center, the location of the main cafeteria and restaurant. You’d imagine that a patio located directly next to the campus dining hub would be heavily used by students who wish to escape the stuffiness of a cafeteria and enjoy their meal outdoors. Yet, I’ve never once seen a single human being in this area throughout my entire time at Bucknell, solely due to how incredibly difficult it is to access. The doors pictured lead directly into the cafeteria, but act as emergency exits only during a normal academic year — students cannot freely enter and exit through them. This, in turn, requires students who have just purchased their lunch to walk out of the front/back of the building and all the way around to the only available opening pictured. This extra few minute walk is enough trouble when carrying hot food on an empty stomach to completely eliminate the usage of this area.
Library “Patio”
This last example is arguably the most egregious piece of design in the entire school, but that’s up to you to decide. When approaching the Bertrand Library from the rear, you’ll notice a brick enclosure surrounding the library; you’ll notice plenty of flowers and growth both around and within this enclosure. And upon reaching this enclosure, you’ll see really the most ideal area for a garden or patio imaginable — a secluded, lush, quiet space to study and relax. An extension of the library, here lies a private area to continue your studies in a fresh landscape. Except, looking at the image below, you’ll notice that, besides certainly being a clear space for a patio, there’s not even a door to access this area! What could the functionality of this concrete laden space be, if not a patio? Even if it’s NOT supposed to be a patio, is its intended functionality truly to collect dead leaves and host 3 plants? Bizarre.
An honorable mention that didn’t quite make the cut include the Swartz Hall patio, which, as you guessed, is also unreachable by normal means. One patio that Bucknell did get right can be found on the second floor of the new Academic East building — a pleasant view of the open spaces that Bucknell’s campus thrives on.
