. . . And I Graduated from the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology

Posted on February 19, 2013 by Fenster

Fenster writes:

I saw a picture recently of the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology and fondly recalled the time I spent getting a graduate degree there.  It is a lovely modernist conception, too.  Take a look.

images (7)

No wait, I didn’t go there.  I keep getting it confused with the State University of New York at Albany.

images (6)

The resemblance is not coincidental: both by Edward Durell Stone.  The SUNY campus is a grand example of Rockefeller’s instincts in art and design.

Unknown's avatar

About Fenster

Gainfully employed for thirty years, including as one of those high paid college administrators faculty complain about. Earned Ph.D. late in life and converted to the faculty side. Those damn administrators are ruining everything.
This entry was posted in Architecture. Bookmark the permalink.

6 Responses to . . . And I Graduated from the Pakistan Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology

  1. Callowman's avatar Callowman says:
    February 19, 2013 at 4:26 pm

    Every school I went to had at least one building that looked like a radiator on steroids. For the sake of comparison:

    here’s a radiator

    and

    here’s Olin Hall at Carleton College.

    Like

    Reply
  2. Paleo Retiree's avatar Paleo Retiree says:
    February 19, 2013 at 7:28 pm

    Touring the SUNY campuses and the government complexes in Albany is like taking a trip through Nelson Rockefeller’s brain.

    Like

    Reply
  4. Glynn Marshes's avatar Glynn Marshes says:
    February 21, 2013 at 12:06 am

    “One distinctive feature of the Albany campus is the excellent alignment of the long axis of the main structure, the academic podium, with the prevailing WNW wind direction, especially for strong winds in winter. The tunnel-like geometry of the three-story buildings with the uniform overhanging colonnade roof tends to funnel and strengthen the wind near the structures and the straight access roadways adjacent. Since temperatures in Albany in the winter months rarely get much above freezing, the vehicle-free pleasure of walking on the “podium” that Stone intended in his design is at those times rather reduced.”

    Like

    Reply
    • Fenster's avatar Fenster says:
      February 22, 2013 at 4:07 pm

      When a student there in the mid 70s the scuttlebut was that Stone had designed this for a third world warmer climate and pulled it off the shelf for the colder Albany project. I don’t know if that is true, or if it is just the case that it resembles the Pakistan project. He apparently competed the design quite quickly.

      Like

      Reply

  5. Pingback: Tragedy is Easy; Planning is Hard | Uncouth Reflections

Leave a comment