Biomass Plant: UGLY!

[mr. chips]

Has anyone seen the new biomass plant under construction - it is really ugly. They are putting the outside shell on right now - it will be a metal building, with corrugated siding. I think it is sad that with all the nice new construction on campus, and all the attention on upgrading the university, USC is putting up a building that will be a real eyesore. Did the city's design committee or the Wales-Garden community know what was coming here?

[krazeeboi]

I'm thinking that perhaps it being an energy efficient building, that took precedence over aesthetics. I'll have to check it out for myself next time I'm down there (unless someone wants to take pictures).

[Firefox]

[goodbye]

[Firefox]

Clever use of the sepia overlay.

[Captain Worley]

It isn't finished yet, so I'd ssay wait til you see the finished product before judging.

Plus, Krazee's right. Its a working plant and form should definitely be trumped by function.

[mr. chips]

It isn't finished yet, so I'd ssay wait til you see the finished product before judging.

Plus, Krazee's right. Its a working plant and form should definitely be trumped by function.

[waccamatt]

I think we can see where it is headed now. I am not upset with the form of the building - just the materials being used. A metal building on campus is just plain ugly. And this is close to a very upscale residential area of the city. A plant like this should have been built in an industrial area of town. Or else, they should use materials on the outside that reflect the new and improved campus-look: stucco or brick, etc. This will be a hulking mass of metal. Can you imagine a sophisticated European city allowing something like this in their downtown areas where people live, work and look for aesthetic pleasures? Isn't Columbia trying to upgrade itself? Why build something that will be an eyesore for generations? And especially also something as massive and ugly as this!

[mr. chips]

I thought it was being built by the University, not the city. I agree with the poor placement, but I'd like to wait until the finished product before commenting on the building.

[BrasilnSC]

It's a Biomass Plant, so I'm not sure how pretty they can make it look, we'll have to wait until it's finished. I'm also not too fond of the location, but it is in the engineering quadrant of USC. It is right next to the Civil and Mechanical Eng. labs and the Machine Shop so it kind of fits in. I wonder if it will serve as sort of a classroom for alternative energy for engineering students.

[Spartan]

I'm sure that it will. And since it will be providing an alternate energy source to power USC- its that much better. Does anyone remember the old powerhouse/steam plant that was behind the president's house? That thing was ugly as sin, but it was well hidden. It provided heated water and I think power to the older parts of campus. Its not too different from what is going on today.

[mr. chips]

I'm sure that it will. And since it will be providing an alternate energy source to power USC- its that much better. Does anyone remember the old powerhouse/steam plant that was behind the president's house? That thing was ugly as sin, but it was well hidden. It provided heated water and I think power to the older parts of campus. Its not too different from what is going on today.