The University of Louisville Medical School campus is made of concrete with a little more concrete to soften the edges. A new plan could change the quad into a grassy meadow and throw in a new grand entrance for good measure.
According to the university, “The campus master plan envisions a central quadrangle that has grass and trees instead of concrete and steel, more places where students can gather and study in groups and more comfortable spaces.” The current medical school complex including the School of Medicine and Dentistry, Research Labs, and Library dates to 1970 and could use some sprucing up.
The architecture is beautiful for its austerity and cohesiveness. It achieves a great sense of grandeur in its concrete simplicity. The concrete quadrangle, however, tends toward the extreme…hot in the summer, cold in the winter. The new design with an instructional building with a clear glass facade to open up the otherwise heavy walls of the quad looks good.
