The Slightly-Abled

It is ironic that Hastings Hall, this monumental space in YSoA, where the most significant architectural discourse happens, is plagued with barriers to access.

The stairs. Quick steps and irregular intervals, be careful not to trip. Stairs of every size and shape with no contrast in sight. Busy bodies all cramming through searching for the last empty seat to a lecture.

The orange. Covering every surface in the lecture hall, the paprika carpet melts together. The edges become hard to distinguish and the contrast is non-existent.

The seating. Carpet-wrapped benches formed to the body of no one. Bending and twisting to find a comfortable position. Writing made impossible with no table surface.

The entrances. Trickle down the tight top steps to find your seat. Can’t do stairs? Take the freight elevator to the back entrance and squeeze behind the speaker podium as everyone watches.

The lighting. Lighting in Hastings is always a compromise. Speaker or powerpoint, only one is visible at a time. Moving when the lights are low, everything becomes a shadow. Hastings Hall is the heart of the Yale of School of Architecture. As only one part of a whole building, it captures a glimpse of this layered pedagogical approach. Beyond Hastings and across the 7 floors, and 27 levels, Rudolph Hall embodies inaccessibility at its every level.