Arrive Magazine - September/October, 2009

CLOCKWISE, LEFT: Brown University, Creative Arts Center; New York University, Department of Philosophy; and University of Pennsylvania, Skirkanich Hall

SKIRKANICH HALL: MICHAEL MORAN

Universities have come a long way from old-school, cookie-cutter studies in drab institutional design. In fact, several forward-thinking schools along the Northeast Corridor have added vibrant, inspired and, in some cases, daring architectural additions to their campuses. Despite the economy’s adverse e;ect on university progress and development—scores of private and public plans have been halted because funding has suddenly evaporated— projects such as Brown University’s Creative Arts Center, designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro, continue to move toward completion. As smart and savvy as the higher learning going on inside their hallowed halls, these university projects represent a bold new look and symbolize the future of America’s advanced education.

BROWN UNIVERSITY
Creative Arts Center, 2011
(under construction)
Diller Scofidio + Renfro

Few East Coast universities possess the liberal, collegiate mystique of Brown, often considered the least uptight and, well, the coolest of the Ivy League schools. Brown has been a rule breaker from its inception—it was the first college in the country to admit students without regard to their religious a;li-ation. Interesting, too, is that Women’s Wear Daily ranks Brown “the most fashionable school in the Ivy League.”

Naturally, when it came to conceiving an on-campus arts facility, one that extended beyond the typical creative curriculum, Brown commissioned the award-winning firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro to mastermind something as remarkable and progressive as Brown’s legacy. Ground was broken in May, and