2009 Class Gift 1
After Penn State's class of 2009 voted last fall to remove and restore the Old Main bell as its gift to the University, Ute Poerschke, associate professor of architecture, and her colleagues realized they had found the perfect project for their second-year architecture students. They tasked them to compete in a charrette -- a short, intensive architectural project -- to present ideas for the bell's eventual relocation and display.
2009 Class Gift 2
Eleven outstanding designs, chosen by a jury of students, faculty and staff, will be exhibited Tuesday, Feb. 3, through Friday, Feb. 5, on the ground floor of the HUB-Robeson Center. This drawing is done by Caristian Horn.
2009 Class Gift 3
"We chose to display the results of the charrette in the HUB to showcase the designs and foster interest in our project among seniors, who may want to donate and be a part of their class gift," said Liz Kernion, overall chair of the 2009 senior class gift committee, who served on the jury. Kernion emphasized that the final design of the bell display ultimately will be based on input from the class gift committee, the University administration, the Office of Annual Giving, the Office of Physical Plant, restoration experts and others in the coming months. This illustration was submitted by Lauren Polacheck.
2009 Class Gift 4
In their final designs, students had to take into account a number of factors, including a new location for the bell; the visual connection between the bell and its former home; spacial issues in terms of possible gatherings at the new location; the relationship between the bell and its surroundings in terms of history, age, materials and use; and campus public display rules and regulations. This illustration was made by David Milliken.
2009 Class Gift 5
The designs were to enable the bell to be rung, something it has not done since the last day of classes in June 1929. According to Liz Kernion, overall chair of the 2009 senior class gift committee, making the bell ring again proved especially popular among the seniors when they voted last November. This illustration was presented by Eric Kaing.
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