Earlier this year, , 天美影视传媒 associate professor of architecture, discussing a class there called “.”

The “outcasts” in question were buildings in the “” architectural style, which grew in the 1950s from the modernist movement. You’d probably know them by sight 鈥� Brutalist buildings are known to be heavy on the concrete, appear geometric or block-like, and dominate their physical site.

The College of Built Environments linked to Anderson’s essay with the headline “.” UW Notebook could not resist posing a few questions about examples of Brutalist architecture here on campus. Anderson starts with a consideration of Condon Hall, but it’s clear that Gould Hall, where he has worked for 20 years, is more of a favorite.

You defend Brutalist architecture, but some campus dwellers have quietly disliked these forbidding buildings for generations鈥�

In fact, not always so quietly! Condon Hall especially has gotten a lot of criticism. A 1994 Seattle Times article by Lily Eng titled “ declared it “a sure-fire contender for the UW’s ugliest building.” She said it “looks like the county jail” and quoted the dean of the law school who disliked its “Stalinist architecture.” Later on called it “bunkerlike.”

This kind of comparative criticism is common for Brutalist buildings. People quickly dismissed them because of associated images they conjure (jails, bunkers, Communist housing). One reason architects don’t dislike these buildings as much is that they are trained to look a little closer 鈥� Brutalist buildings often reward a careful look with all kinds of interesting insights.

Originally, the architects of Brutalism wanted to develop a modernist idea of “truth” in building. This meant less hiding of services (plumbing, ductwork, wires) and an active attempt to reveal how buildings get built. Concrete became a favorite material because it can show the process of construction in the pattern of formwork. It can also work as a fireproof structure, and doesn鈥檛 need to be covered up with fireproofing material or paint.

The occupied Condon for a while when Architecture Hall was being renovated around 2008. Most of us liked the building for a bunch of reasons. First, the concrete work is very precise 鈥� smooth with straight edges and carefully arranged tie holes. It is clear what parts of the building are structural and nonstructural. The building also does a great job of orienting the spaces inside. Offices have great views, but the concrete sun shades protect them from excess glare. The large spaces on the north side, which we used for studios, have great light.

It does stand aggressively on its site, and there are some oddities of planning, but the details are really worth a look!听

You call Gould Hall a fine example of Brutalism. What makes it so? 听

The concrete of Gould Hall is quite different from that of Condon. Gould’s concrete is warmer in color and more heavily textured. As in other Brutalist buildings, it shows evidence of construction. In the stairwells, for example, you can see minute details of the plywood used to form the walls. Because the concrete is a little rough, some of the aggregate shows through, especially on the exterior, providing a great variety of textures that catch the light in interesting ways.

The massive concrete structural frame opens a huge atrium on the interior with stairs that zigzag across it. This surprising aspect of Gould is what makes the building especially appealing. While it might appear heavy, even “bunkerlike” from the outside, it is bright and soaring on the inside. The big horizontal spans open views into the studios and department offices, and from anyplace in Gould Court, you can get a lively sense of collaboration.

Judicious use of wood on the handrails, which are broad enough to lean on, and on the display boards warm up the space. While the classrooms and offices work well, Gould’s bright, open communal space is what makes it an especially good place to work.

Although it is a minor detail, there is a place in the otherwise dim basement where a window opens through the concrete wall onto the massive air handling system. This gives a rare glimpse at just how immense the services are for a building of Gould’s size. This is a typical Brutalist move, which is especially helpful in an architecture school.听

Gould is a great example of a Brutalist building with a pleasant, bright interior public space that opens grandly to every level of the building. Natural light pours into it from above, and people are everywhere.

What do you think of Schmitz Hall? It’s another example of Brutalism, thought by many to be bland and institutional.听

Schmitz Hall is one of those buildings that gives Brutalism a bad name. Its cantilevered levels on the exterior were probably meant to give it some drama, but its insistence on those cantilevers and the lack of variety in them instead make the building feel oppressive.

The yellowish color of the concrete and the excessive regularity of the vertical patterning on the concrete don鈥檛 help dispel this impression. Unlike at Gould, the interior atrium doesn鈥檛 present much of a surprise. It is too small relative to the scale of the building and the number of steps you need to scale to get to it.

Also, hardly any daylight makes its way into the space, so it feels dim and heavy. And from the atrium the rooms seem to go on and on. There are some interesting details in the wood ceilings and the patterned concrete walls, but not enough to dispel an oppressive sense of weight in the building.

What about Kane Hall? Less Brutalist than just bland? 听

People ask me about Kane Hall all the time. One thing to notice is that its south front has the same rhythm as Suzzallo Library, although it uses very different materials. It is hulking with its massive concrete piers, but it does help shape and energize Red Square much better than Gerberding Hall on the other side of the plaza. Its piers also catch the south light in interesting ways.

The interior lobby of Kane, with its very lofty ceiling, warmer brick walls and wood accents, is surprisingly bright, and it deals well with the noise of hundreds of students conversing between classes. The auditoriums hide the services behind wall paneling and dropped ceilings like so many other buildings do. So Kane isn鈥檛 purely Brutalist, but the massive concrete front keeps it in the family.

When defenders of Brutalism behold the splendor of, say, the Suzzallo Library , do they grumble and say “rubbish — pure Gothic grandstanding!”?听

I often bring visitors into the reading room at Suzzallo so they can take it in. It is such a grand collegiate space, almost the prototypical place of study. It is not surprising that people love it.

However, I do point out some of its structural artifice, which any fan of Brutalism won鈥檛 fail to notice. First of all, the buttresses on the exterior facing Red Square are way too small for the job they purport to do. Compare them to the immense flying buttresses on a “real” Gothic building like Notre Dame in Paris, and you鈥檒l get the idea. Suzzallo is a steel frame building masquerading as something else.

One place in Suzzallo where the mask comes off in a delightful way is in the ceiling of the vestibule next to the reading room. The web of steel up there (a 1990s addition) is designed to transfer horizontal earthquake loads across and into the structural frame of the stacks, and from there down into the foundations of a huge, 300-foot bell tower that never got built.

I like buildings that give up interesting information with easy forensic work, which is precisely what Brutalist architecture tends to do.

###

For more information, contact Alex Anderson at ata@uw.edu.

The 天美影视传媒 and Starbucks Coffee Company 鈥� two iconic hometown institutions 鈥� are coming together to create a world-class coffeehouse destination in the historic and iconic Suzzallo Library. The design of the new cafe, set to open this fall, will honor the library鈥檚 rich history and legacy, and serve as a warm and welcoming space for the thousands of students, faculty, staff and guests who visit the library each day.

Lizabeth (Betsy) Wilson, vice provost for digital initiatives and dean of University Libraries, said, 鈥淲e are pleased that Starbucks will be showcasing not only their coffee and environment, but that they are integrating the design elements of the historic Suzzallo Library. Henry Suzzallo might be surprised to see a coffee shop in a library, but I think he would be pleased to see students using the library in ways he could not imagine. It would be beyond his wildest dreams.鈥�

鈥淲e鈥檙e excited about the addition of this very special venue, which will honor the history and design of a truly iconic library. UW Dining鈥檚 mission is to provide our University community with a variety of dining options, so we鈥檙e proud to partner with Starbucks in this endeavor. We look forward to making this a destination for students, faculty, staff and visitors to our campus,鈥� said Pamela Schreiber, assistant vice president for Student Life and executive director of UW Housing & Food Services.

This will be the second Starbucks store at the UW Seattle campus, joining the first full-service location which opened in 2015 at the HUB. UW Housing & Food Services will operate both locations.

For the new cafe at Suzzallo Library, Starbucks store design team worked closely with UW Libraries, UW Housing & Food Services and other campus stakeholders to develop a design that would honor the integrity and heritage of the library, while meeting the growing needs of the campus community. The 4,000-square-foot space will offer a variety of seating options to inspire greater connection between students, faculty and staff, delivering a true coffeehouse destination at the library.听Graham Baba Architects听served as executive architects for the project, working with听Starbucks and the听UW team to develop听the听design from initial听concept to project听completion.

As with all Starbucks stores, the Suzzallo Library location will offer Starbucks signature menu of handcrafted espresso beverages, brewed coffee, Teavana teas, and a wide selection of food including baked goods, Bistro Boxes, breakfast sandwiches, salads, snacks and more. In response to students鈥� requests for more options, Starbucks will also offer its selection of small-lot specialty Reserve coffees, which are all roasted and packaged at the Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Capitol Hill. The new store will also feature the Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew on tap, giving customers at the library a new way to experience cold coffee that’s crafted in small batches, slow-steeped, and infused with nitrogen for a smooth, creamy flavor.

鈥淥ur upcoming cafe at Suzzallo Library represents a true collaboration between Starbucks and the University, with every aspect of the store designed with the UW student in mind,鈥� said Erin Combs, senior manager for Starbucks Community Partnerships. 鈥淭ogether, we hope to create a unique destination on campus that will bring students, faculty and staff together around a shared love for learning, creating opportunities, and inspiring greater moments of connection.鈥�

For both Starbucks and the 天美影视传媒, the new store builds on a partnership the two Seattle-based institutions first established in 2012. The two organizations have partnered on efforts to support the next generation of leaders through programs like the Husky Leadership Initiative and Starbucks has tapped into a strong, local pipeline of talent by hiring UW interns and graduates to join the Starbucks team. As part of its commitment to hiring 25,000 veterans and military spouses by 2025, Starbucks is supporting UW student veterans by providing guest speakers for Husky Veterans meetings and Foster School of Business Student Veterans meetings, including on topics such as successful transition out of the military and corporate opportunities for MBAs. And each year, hundreds of students, Starbucks partners (employees), and community members come together to volunteer on the UW鈥檚 MLK Day of Service.

Details regarding opening date, store hours, and hiring for the new Starbucks at Suzzallo Cafe will be available in the coming months.

The event, the 11^th annual , will be held from noon to 1:15 p.m. Friday, Oct. 7, on Suzzallo’s third floor, outside the Reading Room.

All are invited to listen to the reading or to participate. Each reader who signs up will get a page to read aloud as the event starts, until there are 100 total readers. Participants can with UW NetID or Google login. Small copies of the Constitution will be available.

The event is associated with , which is on Sept. 17. But the university is not in session at that time, so UW Libraries holds it a little later so students can participate.

The mood of Constitution readings is nonpartisan, relaxed and informal 鈥� and no rehearsal is required, said organizer Cassandra Hartnett, UW Libraries government publications librarian.

“Not every passage of the Constitution is as fascinating as, say, the Preamble or the Second Amendment, but it is the range of voices that makes such an impression on me,” Hartnett said. “The different individuals evoke the collective minds who worked to draft, sign and amend the document. And we are the ones who can amend it in the future.”

She said she is inspired by the core group of readers who participate each year. “We may not know each other’s names, but we have a special connection. We all seem to agree that we hear something new each time 鈥� a clause or turn of phrase that never struck us before is suddenly illuminated.

“And every year we are all reminded that members of our military defend the Constitution with their lives.”

###

For more information, contact A.C. Petersen, UW Libraries communications officer, at 206-543-9389 or acpete@uw.edu.

Democrat Hillary Clinton is depicted variously as a prison inmate, a pilgrim clapped in colonial stockades or sporting a yardstick-long nose and labeled “Hillocchio.”

Republican Donald Trump is drawn as a bellowing wrestler, a baby in a stroller, a sweetheart of Russia’s Vladimir Putin or hovering in space as an orange-toup茅e-topped planet 鈥� a “gas giant.”

The editorial cartoons filling a ground floor exhibit in Suzzallo Library this political season are hard-hitting, even brutal. But, well, that’s the 2016 campaign and the year we’re living through.

The growing exhibit is the work of , communication studies librarian for UW Libraries (who is about to become the new microforms and newspapers librarian) and library technician Barbara Miles 鈥� with help from student assistants Brendan Davy, Dikshya Dhakal, Evan Hochwalt, Heather Diaz and Kelli Stoneburner.

This is the fifth such exhibit, Albano said. She started curating them after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, depicting the aftermath and the world’s sympathy that quickly cooled when the United States began wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Albano and crew started following presidential campaigns in 2004 and have done an exhibit for each campaign since.

“It really is such a powerful way to get a message across,” Albano said. “It’s fun and appealing graphically, and it鈥檚 much faster to read a cartoon than an op-ed piece in the New York Times.”

The criteria for the exhibit is that the cartoons have to be taken from newspapers that UW Libraries has in its collections 鈥� either on paper or online. The student assistants check the papers daily looking for new additions, but the final decision on what gets included goes to Albano and Miles. Cartoons that don’t make the stand-up display are filed in a binder nearby that visitors can flip through.

The cartoons have to be related to the election, but if a major news issue crops up, as so many have this year 鈥� the mass shooting in Orlando, the Black Lives Matter movement or the Dallas police shootings 鈥� the exhibit follows those stories as well.

So while the exhibit shows the bitingly sharp humor of political crossed swords, it also reflects America’s deep sorrow following this year’s tragic moments 听鈥� an example being The Charlotte Observer cartoonist cartoon following the July police shootings in Dallas. A police officer at left and an African-American youth at right are both seen weeping into their hands over the caption, “America’s conversation on race and violence continues 鈥�”

Albano and Miles do their best to keep the exhibit even-handed, but say they are finding that harder this year than in previous elections: “This year we’ve found that it is much harder to get cartoons critical of Hillary Clinton than of Donald Trump,” Miles said.

The UW has two Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist alumni, both of whom got their start at the UW Daily 鈥� , now of the Los Angeles Times, and of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Cartoons by both are plentiful in the exhibit.

Albano and Miles agreed that while there is humor in the biting satire of the editorial cartoons collected, the overall exhibit expresses a certain sadness as well.

“Editorial Cartoons 鈥� Election 2016” will be on display until Nov. 30, when, presumably, we will know who our next president will be 鈥� and thus, which candidate will be the subject of cartoons for the next four years.

###

For more information about this exhibit, contact Albano at 206-685-1637 or jalbano@uw.edu.