Students re-imagine UW, city landmarks

Possible ways to enhance our interactions with our physical surroundings will be put forward by three students, via a exhibition opening May 16 in the Gallery of Design.

“Buildings for People” takes three Madison landmarks and transforms them — at least in theory — as final projects for master of science degrees in interior environments for the School of Human Ecology.

Lesley Hayman-Bentley, Chanida Aue-Apaikul and Iwan Kuntjono chose parts of the SoHE building, Memorial Union and a site across from the Overture Arts District near the State Capitol as their capstone projects.

As SoHE prepares for its centennial celebration in 2003, Hayman-Bentley took a holistic approach in a redesign of the Linden Drive space.

“With the goal of creating enticing and noble environments through visual innovation and functional adjustments, and exhibiting concern for cultural and social issues, my design takes into consideration the interior spaces of the existing building and attempts to re-adapt them in a respectful way,” she says.

Aue-Apaikul’s design for Memorial Union is intended to make it easier and more pleasant for people of diverse backgrounds to use the building’s principal public areas on the first floor by addressing cultural affinities of multicultural students on campus, she says.

Likewise, Kuntjono’s proposal for a fashion center aims to engage users of the building through the use of transparency and provisions for adaptability. “I try to entice users by dissolving the distinction between inside and outside, and between adjoining interior spaces,” he says. To enhance customization, he provides “enough organizational structure but leaves certain pieces unfinished so that they can accommodate changes and be re-arranged case by case.”

Roberto Rengel, the assistant professor of environment, textiles and design who is guiding the projects, says the designs are hypothetical, but he hopes they will get people thinking and talking about the possibilities inherent in the spaces we use to enhance our everyday experiences in them.

The projects will be on display through Sunday, May 20 at the Gallery of Design, Human Ecology Building, 1300 Linden Drive. For information, contact Rengel, (608) 265-5209, rjrengel@facstaff.wisc.edu.