Hewlett and Packard Buildings

In the spirit of our survey on architecture, this week I am reviewing two of the most interesting buildings on the Stanford campus--the William R. Hewlett Teaching Center and the David Packard Electrical Engineering Building. Funded by a $77.4 million donation by Stanford alumni and entrepreneurial giants Hewlett and Packard in 1994, these two buildings are our campus' center for studying science and engineering.

What is most striking upon first viewing these buildings is the difference in the materials that comprise them compared to the rest of the Spanish-style red tile roofing and yellow stone that dominate the neighboring Main Quadrangle. Instead, the Hewlett and Packard buildings are mostly made out of glass, metal, and a gray brick. This reflects a difference in the functions of these buildings compared to most of the Quad's buildings. Whereas most humanities and "soft" types of classes are taught in the Quad, the engineering, math, and "hard" science types of classes are taught in the Hewlett and Packard buildings. The glass and metal, particularly compared to the softer stones of the Main Quad, reflect this distinction.

These buildings actively interact with their surrounding Nature in a way that symbolizes the process of humans' conducting science. Unlike the buildings in the Quad, which seem to exist separately from the surroundings, the Hewlett and Packard Buildings engage in conversation with their environment. This can be seen in the choice of building materials. For example, the metal on both buildings' facades is very noticeably reflective of sunlight, while the glass completely is penetrated by it. Juxtaposed next to each other, these two materials imply a back and forth interaction with Nature. Also, the presence of very large trees blocking the facade of the Helwett building suggest that neither man (symbolized by building) nor Nature (symbolyized by the trees) has priority over the other--they simply coexist. In addition, when viewing the inside of these buildings, you can see the metal as being a mirror reflecting what's inside the building, and the glass as giving you access to what's outside. This evokes the concept that science is occupied both with our inner selves and how we exist in the outer Nature.

This abstract theme of Science is one that is very present in the architectural design of the area and is perhaps the most significant motif that is worth noting here. In addition to the materials, the shapes of the buildings reflect this very same ideal. Whereas the Quad's buildings are very traditional in their non-fragmented, contiguous, and rectilinear bases and roofs, the Hewlett and Packard buildings are more reminiscent of the postmodern tradition of Deconstructivism. The Packard building features a huge triangular prism made up of windows of glass that protrudes from the rest of the rectangular building. The Hewlett building, on the other hand, features a stadium-like circular shield of metal on the facade that resembles a futuristic space ship. This, however, is only found in the front of the building and quickly disintegrates into more traditional rectilinear bases. I also noted an interesting transformation between the building's stories: only the southwest corner differs in geometrical structure between the first and second floors (see the picture above of the floor plan). In general, these hard lines, shapes, and in-your-face geometrical figures (as contrasted with the softness of the Quad's architecture) again reflect a type of mathematical and scientific form that fits perfectly with function.

In short, I was struck by how the architects consciously manifested the idea that these are uniquely science buildings in their structure, style, and material choice.