So, it's been a few years since I really spent a lot of time in Givens, the architecture building, but thought I might wanna expend a few words on the place.

So, the architecture building, for all you architecture students or wannabes, is where you will spend a ton of your time. Hell, it says something that in junior year and up, you are allowed to bring your own fridge and microwave to the studios. The studios themselves are set up pretty well, the 1930s era building still has everything you need except for an elevator. This is rather unfortunate for juniors, who tend to have their studio on the third floor, but otherwise, its not bad getting your supplies around the place.

The building also has its own wood shop, which makes nice since you often will be making larger models, or just larger stuff in general. However, the hours always were kind of sporadic, so getting access can be an issue. The shop itself has band saws, table saws, drillers, and more.

In addition to that, the building also has a laser cutter, also on the ground floor. This is basically what it says, you just make what you need on photoshop and bring it down with your materials. The laser itself works remarkably well, and can cut lines I believe down to 1/32 of an inch wide.

Finally, there is the art/arch cart, a small snack spot for all the students slaving away in studio. However, the cart has terrible hours, considering it is in the one building which is inhabited by somebody virtually 24/7 (and here, I am not exaggerating, after the first week, there's usually some one slaving away at a studio project). The cart does, however, have a decent selection and is run by this really nice old lady, Doris.

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560 Trinity is the secondary Music Building for Wash U. Located off campus, right near the Delmar Loop, it is the building to which all lessons have been relocated to, not to mention any concerts and recitals. This is both good and bad for Wash U to have another dedicated building for music, and as a musician, I am both pleased and not with the building.

Originally built as a synagogue, the building was taken over some years ago by Webster University, and just over a year ago, by Washington University. Having finished converting the building to its own purposes, I can say that the building fulfills its functions admirably, but at the same time, suffers greatly from its location, which I personally dislike a lot, given all my music lessons are there. First, the building.

The building itself contains many rooms, and every room has been appropriately fitted with acoustic elements to create proper practice spaces and lesson rooms. These are absolutely fine. The auditorium has also been prepared very well, and is a multipurpose place, having hosted Alberto Gonzalez inside, and the inevitable protests against him being allowed to speak here outside.

Location wise, however, I have a big issue. The building is just far enough off-campus that a car is useful to get there, especially both in the winter or at night. Hate to say it, but even though there is only a short 10-15 minute walk between the bridge in the center of campus and the 560, * still happens in the space between. Students have actually been mugged in that space, and in one case, at gunpoint. It is usually safe, obviously, but still, chances are better not being taken over getting just to a music building. Also, it is where all the a cappella groups have been kicked off to for practice space. The a cappella groups previously could use the music buildings on campus, which were thereby closer, but now either make use of the practice spaces on the 40, which are small, or have to head off campus. Either way, poor choice by the music staff. Overall, it functions well, but loses sooo much because of its location.

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As a music student, the main library of choice for me ends up being, naturally, the Music library. However, this doesn't mean I can just ignore the main library altogether, I mean, occasionally, it still is useful, even for a weird music major like me ;).

Olin Library is the main hub for libraries on campus. With over 3 million items, you will almost definitely find what you need somewhere around there (or at one of the many specialty libraries). It's three stories above ground and two below, all of which end up being big study halls at times. I should know this, not by walking there to study, but walking there to get books and seeing everyone study. Apparently this seems to be a rather common experience, given the many high-intensity majors around here. With regards to actual research, everything in my experience at least, has been organized efficiently, though this is not saying the most, given as I said, my relative dearth of experience in this particular library.

The library itself is rather nice, modernist in appearance on the inside and outside, but not in the bland concrete style of several other buildings on campus (*cough Mallinckrodt *cough). The reading rooms and spaces in general are nice, and the chairs are soft in enough of the study areas. Of course, if you're like me, this also leaves the problem of being able to study in the library and not fall asleep on the comfy chairs. But yeah, come along here, and you will likely find a lot of people studying or reading, and the usual things you would expect college students to be doing in a library.

Lastly, one of the nice things about the library building itself is the fact that we have a nice, loud student cafe right inside the building (separated from the library by soundproofed glass (how they did that, I am rather curious). That deserves its own article though, and will get one.

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