(from The Chronicle of Higher Education) The University of Virginia recently completed a series of brick terraces that make its famous lawn more accessible to wheelchair users and others. The project's design and construction underwent intense scrutiny and faced what Brian E. Hogg, the university’s senior historic-preservation planner, said was a level of vehement opposition not seen before. While the school had undertaken other accessibility projects, this one was controversial in part because Thomas Jefferson himself laid out the lawn terraces and supervised their construction. Every detail was debated — brick type and color, curb height, joint size. To calm passionate alumni and other challengers of the project, the university argued that Jefferson himself was an innovator when it came to architecture and counseled patience; in a few years the new brick would look less new, for example.
More at The Chronicle of Higher Education
All news on NetAssets.org
Listen to the latest episode of the Net Assets podcast.
