How Architectural Layers Learn
Identifying Shearing Layers in an iconic landmark of Pittsburgh and comparing them with ‘Computers’
The Cathedral of Learning is a beautiful structure in the Oakland area of Pittsburgh and has been standing tall in its entirety since 1934. This monument seems special because it is said to be designed as a symbol of education in the city (John Gabbert Bowman, 1921). The building’s identity is ‘Cathy’ for the thousands of students of the University of Pittsburgh, and the fondness in this name indicates that it is a central part of life for them.
The site of this building is located really close to the UPitt campus. Students can transit between classes and this study room with a short walk. This building is also very well connected with buses, which is a big deal for students in general — because, well, money!
The structure of this building is magnificent. It stands 163 meters tall amidst well-maintained gardens and colorful flowers. It has 42 floors and a striking view from the 36th.
The plan of this structure is maintained across floors — so if you learn the map of one, you can find a similarly numbered room on another. It has over 2000 rooms.
There are 31 ‘Nationality rooms’ to help you feel at home when you are living far away from yours. It is comforting how the building’s design is considerate of the fact that students belong to different cultures.
The skin of this monument is a beautiful, vintage, gothic-styled theme. This building’s appearance adds another century of graceful age to its real age. We can see intricate styling, consistently, in all elements of this building— in walls, windows, archways, lighting, flooring, doors...
It was fascinating to see a modern-day element like switchboards dressed with vintage delicate embroidery. :)
The services in this building, with Brand’s definition, are best observed in its huge basement, and numerous fire exits. Plumbing pipes, electric wires and fire alarms everywhere, camouflaged neatly with coats of paint.
A more personal interpretation of “services” for me, is how this building provides students with a comfortable space — like the large study hall (with 200–300 students when I visited) and the variety of food courts with study tables — where students have lunch without disturbing their workflow!
Interestingly, this building also functions to serve tourists. For instance, this souvenir shop with a collection of beautiful artifacts from different countries:
It is also considerate of this building to have accessibility embedded carefully in its entrances, like this wheelchair access in the old-style revolving door.
The stuff in this building is an interesting blend of antique and modern. I took a round of observing just electronics and saw a gradient of support systems for devices from different ages — access-card detectors (most likely from the last few decades), two-way switches, three-pin plugs, an emergency phone keypad, and a telephone plug!
I also have to talk about this building’s elevator system. It is an example of questionable affordance (J. J. Gibson 1977, 1979). Question: Do you think of your destination floor number before or after entering an elevator? Because the elevators in Cathy need you to decide that, and then direct you towards which elevator to enter, depending on your floor! I am not complaining. This does make you wait for a few minutes more, but it is energy-efficient. In a tall building with 40+ floors, it makes a lot of sense. Maybe, every skyscraper corporate building could learn from the Cathy, and reduce their energy consumption.
The effect of time in the evolution of this building is very special.
For instance, this fancy, interactive map of the building to help you find your floor. Side-note: It goes well with their unusual elevator. It is interesting how this digital map is placed in a wooden enclosure. Perhaps to help it blend in with the vintage mood of everything else?
Shearing layers in ‘Computers’
Let us think of a computer as an object with computing capabilities. It has been evolving exponentially through the last few decades. It is a magical world where shearing layers are very fluid, and we can observe them when we zoom out a bit.
The site of a computer seems most interesting to me! In the age of PCs, computers used to have a fixed site, very similar to buildings. Your PC would always be situated on its table, with all the wires, a large CPU, keyboard, mouse, speakers, and maybe a current stabilizer. When laptops became common, the site of the computer became flexible. And now, with mobile phones and smartwatches, computers travel with you everywhere!
The structure of a ‘computer’ is becoming smaller and lighter. From the large CPUs, to nano processing chips, to the newer research around tiny processor implants inside human body for brain-machine interfaces.
The skin of a computer has stayed constant in style but evolved in the material. Back in the day, we used to have heavy metal boxes as the skin. Now, we have lighter materials with flexible forms.
The services of a computer could be seen basically as its wires, fans, processors, which in a nutshell, they have reduced in size and number. The services provided by a computer evolved from algebraic calculations to brain-machine interfaces.
The space plan in a computer would be its hard disk storage capacity and organization of folders and files. While storage capacities have increased with time, the need for an organization has reduced thanks to universal search algorithms.
The stuff in computers, which I believe is information, is again very interesting. With years, it has clearly evolved in size, richness, and intricacy. As of now, computers are integral equipment for livelihood for many. Computers have begun to contain every little detail of our lives.
Reflection
Thinking upon the shearing layers of a building, or an object, or even an abstract concept, helped me personify them, and I could imagine their experience of traveling through time, form, and interaction with their users. :)
