We first visited the construction site of Student Center costed $48.2 million designed by Rem Koolhaas, which is his first US project. The huge steel tube for reducing the noise generated by L, a line of elevated train, is the most eye-catching structure in the site. Student center is below the steel tube. The "zebra pattern" headband and the enlarged picture of Mies van der Rohe at one of the entries are another two striking features of the building. One of the tasks of the Student Center is to draw attention from State street. In this respect, it is successful. However, Koolhaas's design is allegedly critisized by some people, especially Mies' admirers I think, accusing his bold design doesn't follow (or respect?) Mies' principle/vision for IIT campus.(Correct me if I am wrong.) We weren't able to take a good look at how Koolhass deals with connection between his building and Mies' due to its still being under construction, therefore, I would hold my comment for now. But I like the idea of bringing some daring design into IIT campus.
我們第一個參觀的是尚在施工中, 由 Rem Koolhaas 設計, 造價四千八百萬美元的學生中心. 最搶眼的要算是為了消弭高架鐵路帶來噪音的大型鋼管. 學生中心位於其下, 跟 Mies 的建築物毗鄰. 另兩個引人注目的特徵是"斑馬紋"的頂部帶狀飾條跟印有 Mies 肖像的玻璃入口. 由於施工中, 內部無緣一見. (熱情如我們還被工地主任驅離, 真是太沒天理了...) Koolhaas 的設計被 Mies 的支持者評為跟原始校園規劃格格不入(我好像有聽說, 錯了請糾正我), 不過, 其實我蠻喜歡將大膽的設計引入校園的主張.

Helmut Jahn's State Street Village is a 5-story student dormitory, located at south of Koolhaas' Student Center, facing the west IIT campus across State street. The State Street Village consists of six individual buildings and has a partially curvy section. These buildings are faced with corrugated steel panels reminiscent of Koolhaas' steel tube. At the courtyards between buildings, the perforated steel panels serve as sunscreens. I like the sleek looking of blue glasses and the clear sight of mechanical equipments behind them, which I think demonstrates some sort of monumentality of technology, too.
Helmut Jahn 設計的學生宿舍, 是一個五層樓高, 由六個個別的建築組成的集合, 位於學生中心的南邊, 跟 IIT 西邊的校園隔 State 街對望. 建築物的斷面局部有弧形曲線, 外緣使用鐵製浪板形材料包覆, 跟 Koolhaas 學生中心的大型鋼管外部材料遙遙呼應.單一建物之間夾著中庭, 上方亦使用類似建物外牆的材料作遮陽板, 增進組群的統一感.我喜歡這群建築物對玻璃應用的手法. 這個學生宿舍, 門禁森嚴, 我們不得其門而入.

After visiting two new buildings, we then went visiting those buildings designed by Mies which comprise of most of IIT campus. One of the most famous buildings would be the Crown Hall which houses the architecture department. It's an elegant, graceful building, but unfortunately I only took pictures of its back and side elevations!!!!! (What an idiot!!! >.<) Owing to the gigantic steel girders and exterior steel columns, it's able to provide free and spacious plan for the interior. Another building we visited is the Paul V. Galvin Library. I like the exterior better than the interior. Walking at the IIT campus, I have to admit the buildings are somehow not that appealing to us. I remember Mies'd said "architecture reflects will of epoch"( I couldn't remember it clearly...) Maybe it's time to bring something new to revitalize the campus and to meet its current programmatic needs? (As they've already worked on that.)
看完了兩棟新建築, 我們接著參觀IIT 原始校園, 膜拜一下大師作品, 最有名的建物之一當然是建築系館－ Crown Hall. 令我扼腕的是....我竟然只照了背面和側面!!! (真是太豬頭了!!!) 四根位於屋頂之上的大鋼梁和外圍的鋼柱, 使得此建築物得以自由應用內部的空間是它的特點之一. 之後, 我們又參觀了 Paul V. Galvin 圖書館, 另一個重要作品. 逛了逛校園, 老實說這些建築物並不特別吸引我(們), 就像 Mies 曾說建築物反應時代精神, 也許該是時候為 IIT 校園作些新的嘗試了? (如同他們現在正在做的一樣)