Connor Garrels

English 101
Beemsterboer
Review Draft 1
Miller 102: The Goldilocks Study Space

I set down my juice and lean back, taking a deep breath. My eyes
sweep past stark whites walls, smooth gray floors, and clear towering
windows. The even, blue-hued light that drifts through the windows blankets
the floors and tables. Above, warm lighting throws an arc of warm yellow
light across the edges of the ceiling - across the tops of the windows.
Nestled between Miller Halls many additions and updates is the most
recent architectural venture, Miller 102 a collaborative center. As one of
the biggest parts of a $51.5 million renovation in 2011, what was once a
large central courtyard is now a
Collaborative Space where students can
meet and study according to a Western
Today article detailing the project (Campus
Tour: Miller Hall). This indicates the original
purpose for the room a place where
students can buckle down and get work
done. A place where students can work
alone or in a group, this room is intended to
be a hub of productivity by design.
Walking through the double doors of
Miller Halls northwestern face, one is easily
fooled into thinking they are indoors.
However, once you pass through those two
sets of doors you stand within the courtyard,
on a walkway between the outer ring of
Miller and 102. From that concrete
colonnade, the beauty of the collaboratory
can begin to be appreciated. Framed along the base with low, green
groundcovers, its simple exterior gleams silver and gray. Vines grapple onto
lattices along two sections of wall dividing the windows. The contents of 102
appear distorted and unclear due to the ghostly lines of reflected concrete

and brick, making the interior tantalizingly mysterious. If its this calm and
serene out here, whats it like on the inside?
A short distance to the left sprawls Miller Market, a small store offering
everything from fresh coffee to sandwiches to Doritos. No matter what you
need to get your day going, Miller Market has it, boasts Westerns dining site
(Miller Market). I tend to agree with them, too. I stop in and grab a juice
smoothie and a parfait, as it is only nine in the morning and I need
something to keep me going for the next few hours. Many others are also
grabbing anything from a snack to a full
breakfast to - the website said it - get their day
going. Since most people go to Starbucks or a
caf to study or conduct meetings, having the
food nearby is a familiar and comforting feeling.
Comforting to know that you can be there
working for a while and not worry about having
to go find food when you get hungry. Its hard to
get work done when youre hungry and have no
energy.
I leave the market the way I came. A large
doorway makes up 102s northern point and the
room stretches out before you. As one can see
by the floor plan at the left from Westerns
website, the room itself can be most easily (though regrettably inelegantly)
described as shaped like a right triangle with a nasty dent along its
hypotenuse (Campus Floor Plans). Inelegant, yes, but admittedly clever. It
offers a wide open space for large groups in the center but also provides
quiet, out-of-the-way corners for individual visitors fulfilling both the meet
and study space promised in the Western Today article. The whole space is
filled with tables and chairs. Low, round tables in the center. High tables by
the window with stools. Coffee tables along the northwestern and
southwestern walls. Small individual tables with single chairs. The tables are
white and clean, the chairs modern and wooden. Any and all can be moved
around to create the perfect seating situation for whatever ones purpose
may be. Theres no point in having a big versatile space if the seating cant
be just as versatile. I stride over to the windows and choose one of the
higher tables that offers a view of the whole room.
As I stir my yogurt, granola, and fruit, the first thing to hit me is the
light. The walls are enormous sliding glass windows that evenly let in soft,
cool light from the overcast sky above. Running along the tops of the
windows framed with a soft silver steel, are lights that splash the darkened
ceiling with a warm, glowing yellow. The area is not dark, allowing plenty of
light. Nor is it very bright, creating a relaxed feeling so you can buckle down
and stay a while without feeling like youre stuck in this harsh florescent
classroom. The only two walls in the room are tucked on either side of the
ninety-degree corner and both are adorned with artwork. One holds a grid of
circular photographs of the sky, each corresponding to a different time of day

and different time of year. Some are dark, some

bright blue, some overcast, some with clouds
ablaze in the final moments of sunset. On the
other hangs hundreds of moons, each in a
different phase in a different time of year. Strung
together the moons seem to fade into each other
in both horizontal and vertical lines, making long
black to white gradients. Both walls simple and
interesting, but not distracting at all. The same
goes for the room as a whole interesting but in
no way distracting. Above each wall a large
skylight mixes with white LED splash lights that
illuminate the clean white calls in stark contrast
to the dimmer floor and ceiling. Two bright white
rectangles in a sweeping fog of dark gray and
yellow. The aesthetic makes for a place you want to stay in, and in terms of
study spaces, the longer youre there the better. Needing to study in a
hideous area for two hours would be absolutely soul-sapping.
Past the tall windows on the long side of 102 towers the brick faade of
Miller Hall with its own tall windows. Through one, a white-bearded professor
laughs as he gestures towards a chart on his projector. On the ground lay the
same low green plants, perfectly coated in a
light rain. On the opposite end the concrete
columns of the walkway stand a speckled
blue-gray, the brick walls above.
Its early in the day and there arent
many people here. The 31 tables and 70
seats are far from being filled and it is quiet.
Those who are here are working. Typing on
laptops, sifting through a textbook and jotting
notes, speaking in hushed tones to a study
partner. The room is large enough to allow
enough space between people so everyone
has their own space. Im inspired to get out a
textbook of my own and do a bit of reading.
No longer an observer, Im now here using
this space as everyone else is, and it feels
right.
Sam is a regular visitor of the space.
Between classes she likes to visit 102, get a coffee and check emails.
She adds, I just really like the openness. It matches the mood of the day,
whether its sunny or rainy or windy and overcast. In regards to 102 as a
working environment she admits I could never get serious work done at
peak hours, as it can be pretty noisy. But if I have a lot to do Ill go early in
the morning or late evening as its much quieter (Barber). The two reasons
Sam likes working in 102 are the easy access to coffee from Miller Market

and the open mood of the room due to the clean modern styling and the
natural light from the windows. Both make the room more inviting and
comfortable as a study space.
As I begin highlighting my way through my psych textbook, I begin to
tune into the sounds of 102. The hum and whir of Miller markets refrigerators
and machines. The shuffling of feet under chairs. The rustling of jackets and
paper, the zip of backpacks. Later in the day, of course, this place livens up.
Later there will be a buzz of conversation and a crowd of students eating and
talking and laughing. Then is a time to talk, to be social. Now, half past nine
in the morning, is a time of work. It is quiet, it is focused, the perfect volume.
The poor soul that accidently scoots a chair loudly and sends its squeak
bouncing along the walls is guaranteed to freeze, wide-eyed at what they
have just done. The one downside is how the room echoes and exaggerates
even the smallest sounds. No one here is going to make a fuss about an
accidental chair squeak, though. However, when one particular girl waltzes in
and begins loudly discussing anime with a comrade, she catches some
sideways glances. She is oblivious to them and no one is being mean, this is
just not the time and place to be loud. She eventually realizes her inside
voice is too loud and lowers to a hushed chat. Again the unspoken rule of
calm and quiet reigns.
Im done with my psych reading and class is coming up soon. I quietly
pack up my stuff, silently push my chair in and set off. I walk towards the
exit, beaming, feeling as if I have used my time well and that is due in no
small part to this room, this place. Everything youd need, nothing you dont.
Not too loud, not too busy. Not too big, not to small. Just right.

Cites:
"Campus Tour: Miller Hall." Campus Tour: Miller Hall. Web. 18 Jan. 2016.
"Miller Market." - WesternWashington. Web. 18 Jan. 2016.
"Campus Floor Plans." Campus Floor Plans. Web. 18 Jan. 2016.
Barber, Samantha. Personal Interview. 18 Jan. 2016.