Sasaki firm helps Oberlin find elbow room

Major changes may be in store for the College as administrators attempt to develop a master plan for the campus' future over the next several months.

With the College preparing to break ground in June for the new Environmental Studies building and plans for a new Science Center well underway, administrators are turning their attention to the changing face of the campus as a whole.

Assistant to the President Diana Roose said the need for a campus master plan became clear last semester when building plans were finalized.

"Whenever you build something, it has a great impact on the flow of campus traffic and the appearance of the campus. Nobody had been taking a comprehensive look at the campus' shape and feel, and that was the missing piece of the planning process," Roose said.

At College President Nancy Dye's suggestion the College called on Sasaki Associates, a well-known Massachusetts-based architectural firm responsible for developing master plans for many colleges around the country.

The Sasaki team was asked to visit Oberlin's campus and evaluate its spatial issues and its potential for growth.

"We're not asking them to plan the future down to the last detail, but to look at the campus as it flows now and show us concepts in three main areas," Roose said. "We want them to look specifically at adding buildings in the near future, alternative possibilities for student housing and parking issues."

Vinicius Gorgati, architect and urban designer for Sasaki, headed the team that came to assess Oberlin last week.

Gorgati and several other designers spent several days at the College analyzing the structure and flow of the campus.

"We found the campus extremely interesting. The town and campus are very integrated and unified, and the North and South campuses are so distinct, but still complementary in character," Gorgati said. "It's a very exciting environment because it has character. As a designer I personally appreciate that."

In addition to mapping the campus with an eye toward possible future renovations, the Sasaki team met with various groups around campus to get feedback on what changes people want to happen in the short- and long-term.

Gorgati said the team spoke with students, as well as faculty, staff and administrators, to gain input. "To my knowledge we've talked to all the constituencies so far," he said.

Those constituencies had many diverse opinions about what the future should bring to Oberlin's campus, according to Gorgati. He said the feedback he received covered everything from the need for a new student union to complaints about College-Conservatory relations.

"Some people think the College and the Conservatory should mingle more on a daily basis. Others think that's only feasible for jazz students because classical Conservatory students practice six hours a day and don't have time to mingle," Gorgati said. "You really hear differences of opinion."

Among the most prevalent issues brought up in discussion were housing and parking options, Gorgati said.

"Housing is not necessarily more in demand, but there needs to be an understanding of why students leave the campus. Some people recommended that Oberlin offer College-owned but off-campus-like housing on campus," he said.

Students present for the various discussions with Sasaki made suggestions ranging from tearing down Dascomb Hall to adding the option of apartments, suites or townhouses on campus, according to student senator senior Dan Persky.

Persky said many students expressed dissatisfaction with the limited choices of on-campus housing available to them.

"Frankly, the reason I moved off-campus was because of the lack of different styles of housing on campus. There are really only a few different styles of rooms on this campus," Persky said.

In response to such feedback, the President's office drafted and distributed a housing survey to all Oberlin students.

"The survey is a primary tool to gauge student opinion. We got a really good response rate. Sasaki is tabulating and analyzing the results now," Roose said.

Gorgati said the Sasaki team will visit Oberlin again in the middle of May with a concrete presentation of possible renovations for the College to make. He emphasized that no final plans for change have been made.

"Right now we're trying to establish two or three alternatives for growth in the College. It's very complex; you have to create synergy and make all the elements compatible," Gorgati said. "The College will have plenty of time to debate our presented alternatives internally. The process is about being fluid and open to input."