Ryan ChartrandFrom the looks of the proposed plaza renovation at the University Union, Cal Poly is set for more sub par campus design. While I agree that renovation is a must, I can’t understand why a school that has one of the best architecture and landscape architecture programs and professors in the country has not been part of the design process. Students would be able to provide time and research that firms are unable to afford. This process not only empowers the student body of Cal Poly, but yields fresh design ideas that this proposal lacks.
From the article in the Mustang Daily, there seems to be more emphasis on the plaza sculpture than the design itself. Do we really need a phallic fountain monument? Why not a bronze sculpture of President Baker riding a Mustang into the sunset? Or, perhaps we could take a closer look at the design process of the University Union Plaza and come up with something that is for the students, by the students.