This shot is of the courtyard between the A and B wings of Potomac Hall. This area is mostly grassy but has a paved area with picnic tables to sit at and some very basic grills as well. During the winter this area is used by students for snowball fights and other winter related activities, while in the spring students are seen sitting out and soaking up the sun or eating takeout from Festival with their friends. I chose this space because I felt that the courtyard strongly relates to the common areas that Mattson refers to in his essay. Mattson argues that agora-like spaces have long been a focal point that architects center on throughout history, for people to meet and interact and for democratic thought to flourish. The courtyard, right in the middle of the two is analogous to the central space Mattson mentions in his essay. The courtyard is Potomac Hall's version of the agora.
As a resident of Potomac, I agree that this court yard area is an important part of the building. Unlike dorms on the other side of campus that are much smaller, these dorms on East Side of campus house 400 students. When dorms are smaller, it is easier to get to know other residents. Also, living somewhere near the quad also makes interacting with other people much easier. This is why when JMU was designing the dorms on this new side of campus, each of them have a courtyard with green space. It is the university's way of continuing to encourage the interaction of residents.
ReplyDelete-Meredith Gray