|ie Battalion
Aggielife
Page 3 • Wednesday, September 30, 1998
Wall
gto
Mini
irchitectural tradition,
tructural problems
eatured in Langford
L
a
m
BY KATIE MISH
The Battalion
angford, the home away from home
for Texas A&M architecture and envi
ronmental design students, has a rich
history and unique design that has
made it stand out on the Texas A&M
niversity Campus since it was first intro-
iced in 1963.
The building was first opened for classes
me 10, then a 3-story, 47,000 square foot
ructure, costing $900,000 designed by Har-
ood K. Smith.
The building’s features included marble,
ass, steel and brick structures and innova-
/e design studios.
It was dedicated on Nov. 28, 1963 by guest
leakers University President Earl Rudder,
.T. Harrington and Ernest Langford, for
hom the building was eventually named.
Bior to the building’s opening, architecture
udents used space on the fourth floor of the
:ademic Building. As the number of archi-
Hre students increased, the need for a new
c|ity became apparent.
Hie building was formally named for Lang-
rd, Class of ’13, on Sept. 8, 1976. Langford
irved as the head of architecture from 1929
1956.
In 1977, 102,000 square feet were added
the facility in at an approximate cost of
i.5 million.
Another $110,000 was donated in 1978 to
ake further renovations to the structure.
More renovations were made in 1991, in-
uding the addition of research labs and re-
nstruction of the building’s center.
The structure is now separated into three
arate buildings.
Building A houses upper-level studios, the
:aduate department, the undergraduate de-
nent and landscape architecture studios.
Bing B houses woodshop and research stu-
s for doctorate candidates.
Building C houses lecture areas, classrooms
(id lower level studios.
Buildings A and C also house the Depart-
lem of Visualization Sciences.
The original structure featured an air-flow
iilnber to test natural effects on building
lolels, a dome for a “simulated sky” effect
ifl) lights to create different stages of sunlight
■gray glass that goes from floor to ceiling
allow natural light in and block glare.
The original design also allowed for varied
T space using movable partitions, depend-
on class size.
The building has been plagued with prob-
through the years. Past complaints from
dents and faculty include leaks, noise due
[indow ventilation, cracks in the joints and
erously steep steps.
aren Rogers, Senior Academic Business
The third floor
of the
Langford
Architecture
Center as
seen from the
fourth floor.
Over the
years, the
center has ex
panded into
three sepa
rate build
ings.
Built in!963,
the building
is home to ar
chitecture,
environmen
tal design
and construc
tion science
students.
Administrator for the College of Architecture,
said she does not think there is anything sig
nificantly wrong with the structure.
“All buildings on campus have structural
problems,” Rogers said. “The floor is coming
up on the second floor, and the roof leaks, but
other than that, I don’t know of anything else
wrong with it. It just has a few problems, like
anywhere else.”
Vivian Paul, associate dean and a professor
in the architecture department, said she does
not know much about problems with the
building, but said the building is not ideal.
“I think it’s an ugly building,” Paul said.
“It’s just not a real livable building.”
Mike Garron, with the Physical Plant, said
recent renovations have improved the archi
tecture building.
“We made changes in the urban landscape
and architecture lab,” Garron said. “We
walled it in and made it more of a formal
classroom and wired it for computer tables
Jake Schrickling/Thu Battalion
and better light.”
Garron said there have been a few other
changes, such as the conversion of the photo
lab to office space and equipment repair space
and classroom enhancements in Architecture
Building C this past summer.
He said he does not know of plans for fu
ture changes.
Carroll Claycamp, an architecture professor
of design of structural development, said ru
mors of structural problems with the Archi
tecture building are unfounded. He said the
problems include poor acoustics, leaks and
annoying birds but nothing that is seriously
wrong with the construction.
He said problems with the building are ei
ther controllable or not worrisome, and it is
structurally secure.
“The architecture building has suffered
from continuous pigeon problems and roof
leaks, but it is not unsafe,” Claycamp said.
see Langford on Page 5.
Wehner houses most
high-tech classrooms
on A&M campus
BY MICKEY SALOMA
The Battalion
T ucked away somewhere
between the West Cam
pus Library and the J.
Reynolds Medical Sci
ences Building lies one of
Texas A&M’s most technologically
advanced and student-friendly
buildings — the E.L. Wehner Busi
ness Administration Building.
According to the Texas A&M Uni
versity Archives, in the late ’80s and
early ’90s, the Blocker Building was
beginning to be too tight a squeeze
to house the Texas A&M Business
College, and the idea of the Wehner
Building was formed.
Wehner was built in order to pro
vide the Texas A&M University
Lowry Mays College & Graduate
School of Business a state-of-the-art
facility to enhance business stu
dents’ education.
Ground breaking took place in
Fall ’92, and the facility opened its
doors for classroom instruction in
Spring ’95.
Edward A. Segura, the Wehner
Facilities Officer, said it was the most
advanced building on campus when
it was opened.
“It was the only building on cam
pus in which every single classroom
and office was network accessible
with ethernet which interconnects
students, faculty and administrative
offices and provides access to Texas
A&M mainframe computing and
the Internet,” he said.
The Wehner Building is named
for E.L. “Pete” Wehner, Class of ’41,
from Del Rio.
In addition to his many dona-
a rch ite
wee
T
re
tions, Wehner also served as presi
dent of the Texas A&M Development
Foundation and as a member of the
Mays College and Graduate School
of Business Development Council.
The Lowry Mays College and
Graduate School of Business is
ranked in the top 10 business pro
grams by the Gourman Report.
In Fall ’97, total enrollment in the
college was 7,693, and the under
graduate program, with a total of
7,027 students, is one of the largest
business colleges in the country.
Segura said the four-story,
190,00-square-foot building cost
$23.5 million to build and houses
65 to 75 percent of all the College
of Business classes. It also is where
the of
fice
the
Dean of
the Col
lege of
Business is located.
The biggest room in the Wehner
building is Room 158, also known as
the auditorium. According to the
Wehner Building Web site
[http: //wehner. tamu. edu/media),
the auditorium is the largest, regular
ly scheduled teaching facility at A&M.
The auditorium is equipped with
every form of audio/visual equip
ment, including a Pentium PC com
puter, laser disc player, slide projec
tor and overhead projector.
All audio/visual equipment and
room lighting can be controlled by
the instructor from the computer
touch pad mounted in the podium
on the stage or from the projection
booth in the back of the auditorium.
see Wehner on Page 6.
The
Wehner
Building,
located
on West
Campus,
was built
in 1995
to accom
modate
for the
large
number
of
students
in the Col
lege of
Eric Newnam/The Battalion Business.
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WHO’S WHO AMONG STUDENTS
IN AMERICAN UNIVERSITIES AND COLLEGES
1998 - 99
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
Who’s Who applications are now available for both undergraduate and
graduate students in the following locations:
Commandant’s Office (Military Sciences Building)
Student Programs Office (2nd floor MSC)
Student Activities Office (125 John J. Koldus Building)
Sterling C. Evans Library
Office of Graduate Studies (125 Teague)
Office of the Dean of each College
Office of Graduate Studies (128 Teague)
Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs (I Oth floor Rudder)
Meted applications must be received by the Student Activities Office no later than 5:00 pm on
^.October,! 1998. They may be hand-carried to the Student Activities Office, sent through
Kipus Mail, or sent through D.S. Mail. (See application for addresses.) Questions may be addressed
handy Briers in Student Activities at 845-1133.
AGGIE ORIENTATION
LEADER PROGRAM
WANT TO HELP THE GLASS OF 2003 ?■?!?
If you were an Orientation Leader
last summer.
Apply to be a Program Coordinator
for this summer!!
BECOME A PROGRAM
COORDINATOR
APPLICATIONS FOR PROGRAM
COORDINATORS
AVAILABLE 314 YMCA.
DUE 10/2 BY 5PM
Orient at tion
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