Building Stories

Science II Building – The Elephant

My building is large, you could almost say like an elephant. It’s strong and doesn’t have a broad colour pallet. You walk past and see a block of grey very plain but yet it holds a mystery, as if it has many secrets that the eye can not see…

My building is the science II building that is located at the Otago university campus built in 1970’s. The building is connected to the departments of human nutrition and chemistry. The two building are connected through walkways surrounding the building making it easy to get to from either wing. Like an elephant the Science II building has large shimmery trunks on top of the building, which you can spot from across the Leith River.

My elephant like building has very tough textures. It is made of concrete and stands out against the thin lines that are indented to the cement. On the first floor there are Blocks pressed with stones adding texture and a deeper colour. Above each block is a square window allowing sun to stream into each room of the building. As your eyes follow up towards the top you notice that the building is symmetrical, with having four square windows on each side.

To me this building feels more built for purpose than for an outstanding look. The building doesn’t stand out as something beautiful, but then who is to judge what is beauty. It is a solid structural building, which is a facility for education of students. This becomes a building with a purpose! And like an elephant my building will stand tall and proud.