I’ve always thought of the building I work in, UBC’s Main Library, as a prime piece of campus real estate. Centrally located, office windows that open, the core of the building is a lovely Gothic/Tudor hybrid, recently renovated for the Chapman Learning Commons. Then there’s all the good kharma from working in close proximity to all those books.
Lately things have taken a disturbing turn… they are ripping apart the north wing, and months of disruption and mounting noise levels have given way to some pretty serious quaking here in the office. I have a very high chaos-tolerance threshold, and noise is easily blocked out by headphones, but the rumbling is starting to have an odd effect on me.
Intellectually, I know I am probably not about to perish in an earthquake. And I possess a reasonable amount of confidence in the engineers that I can only assume are overseeing this process. But somehow, my nervous system refuses to agree… it’s like my spinal cord hasn’t gotten the memo, and steadfastly maintains that the floor is shaking, get out! When I move around, my legs feel rubbery, as if I’ve just narrowly averted a life-threatening injury. My stomach churns… oh sure, it’s usually churning a little bit — my neuroses see to that — but now it’s really churning.
More pics of the ongoing destruction (which does provide a nifty source of lunchtime entertainment…) below:
Disturbing though it is, at least it’s not a random act of violence…
And when its all over.. is it ever going to be interesting!
That Heritage (1925) core will still be there, the stones they stripped off the building (check out the second phot in the sequence) will be incorporated back into the new structure, and we will have an amazing facility that is part Library, part provincial resource. It will house all kinds of interesting groups together, UBC’s innovative interdisciplinary programs (Science One, Arts One, etc.), TAG, OLT (that’s us!)…
If anyone is interested, check out the Ike Barber Learning Centre site – http://www.ikebarberlearningcentre.ubc.ca/.
We are definitely living through an interesting period though. Still trying to figure out if we can get a seismometer in here….
Great pics, Brian!!!!
I agree with Michelle that it will be nicer when the building is reconstructed. However, the destrcution of this place means more than “noise” to me. This is where I spent a lot of stressful but happy time with my friends in first and second year, where we always stayed to study until 11pm during the finals. Well, since all of them are having co-op now, only I am left to witness the happy memories being dragged down and buried in soil…