While walking around the Ohio State University campus, the Chiller Plant building enticed me to get closer, due to its beautiful kaleidoscope of colours showcased during the day.
What is a Chiller Plant building you ask?
The Ohio State University's South Campus Central Chiller Plant completed by Ross Barney Architects in 2013, is a long-term, active and sustainable solution for chilled water production and distribution. The building designed to provide an efficient system of air conditioning for the new Medical Center tower and all associated buildings on the campus.
At a mere $72.5 M, the 95,737-square-foot, ten-story, galvanized structural steel and concrete paneled building serves as an iconic anchor at an important pathway to the main campus.
The result is a dynamic and striking piece of infrastructure that changes as the 177 dichroic fins and eight glass boxes cast shadows of varying sizes, colour and intensity, providing an ever-shifting, non-static facade.
In another part of the campus, I found myself fascinated by large numbers. These painted and cut numbers are made of stoneware, concrete, bronze, steel, and granite. After taking a few photos and researching the why of this installation, I found the Garden of Constants by Barbara Grygutis completed in 1993.
© 2017 Louise Levergneux, Garden of Constants on the campus of the Ohio State University
Jim Jenkins, what do you think?
The numbers depicted are absolute numbers chosen because of their special meaning to the scientific community. They represent mathematics and engineering programs at Ohio State. The public sculpture was commissioned by the Ohio State University Percent for the Arts. Subcontracted and fabricated by Barbara Grygutis, the Ohio Precast and Mt Vernon Machine & Tool, Inc.
One can find fifty individual formulas cast in bronze and embedded in handmade pavers. The formulas highlight the activities performed in the four buildings surrounding the courtyard, emphasizing the theme of constant numbers.
© 2017 Louise Levergneux, Alum Creek Campground, Columbus Ohio
With a new perspective, I'm enjoying visiting old and novel places along the way as my studio travels this year.