Everyone is getting excited about the new buildings that are about to be erected on our campus. But we have to remember these buildings are going to impact our campus in more ways than just gracing us with their presence.
For example, the view from the Hirsch Observatory, located atop the Science Center, will suffer when the new biotechnology center is constructed.
As planned, the new building will block a good portion of the sky as seen from the Observatory. While the workaround would be to wait for the desired astronomical phenomena to climb higher in the sky, it would limit the amount of time these objects are visible each night.
Even worse will be the problem of light pollution from the biotechnology center. The Observatory is already having trouble due to light from the Mueller Center, which is lit all night long. Having a building in closer proximity will magnify the difficulties in getting a good reading even on the phenomena that are visible.
Both these issues can be resolved, though. A policy restricting light usage in the building could be enacted, though this could be a problem for building residents who like to work late. Alternatively, the Observatory could be moved to the top of one of the taller buildings on campus, like the CII.
This, of course, is not the only issue that is raised by the impending construction, but the fact that it exists is an illustration that the people who are responsible for these projects need to consider the entire impact that the buildings will have on the campus as a whole. It’s where we live, where we work. We ought not improve at the expense of those things that make our campus our home.
