Conley 1

Kathleen Conley

Professor Granillo

English 103 Honors

22 October 2018

Public Spaces Discussion Post

College of the Canyons is a public space which attempts to cater its services for many in

need of college classes. Whether it be in preparation for transfer or a full education for a degree,

College of the Canyons aims to be an accessible unit open to all those who need it. Thus in being

a public space, the college should be able to reflect values, interests, and identities of the many

individuals the campus is open to. Aesthetics theory constructed by David Hume, focuses on

deriving certain feelings and perceptions by the utilization of specific architectural choices.

These choices aide in determining whether an individual perceives a specific object as beautiful

or ugly. More specifically, the aesthetics around Mentry Hall and Honors Grove attempt to

derive a calming energy that promotes relaxation over anxiety with its many trees, grass, and

student art placed within some of the hallways leading to classrooms. With all this in mind, many

who attend College of the Canyons feel differently about the campus’ success in being accessible

and welcoming. Because of the architectural choices around Mentry Hall in particular,

individuals with disabilities may struggle navigating this side of the campus. A campus which is

intended to be utilized with the public in mind should encompass all individuals, which includes

those with disabilities. While College of the Canyons Valencia campus possesses welcoming

aesthetics, it still fails to truly be accessible to those with disabilities.

Its is significant to keep in mind those that constructed College of the Canyons made

intentional architectural decisions both based on cost and how they want individuals to feel on
 Conley 2

the campus. It is significant to note that individuals do not view objects or constructions

consciously as beautiful, rather, “Taste is the ability to judge an object, or a way of presenting it,

by means of liking or disliking devoid of all interest. The object of such a liking is called

beautiful” (Kant 509). The interior of Mentry Hall possesses numerous open windows in the

classrooms and some of the hallways which allow natural light to flow in. Many students may

not notice this placements of windows as they walk through the hallways or sit in the classrooms

which possess them. This was a choice made by the architects in order to probe at the students’

subconsciousness and make them feel open. The students do not notice themselves being

consciously in awe or the calming feeling the windows may produce. Furthermore, art and chairs

are placed throughout these hallways which students gather to sit. The chairs placed throughout

the hallway signal to the student that there are placed they can sit down and relax if needed. A

hallway without chairs may produce anxiety and a sense of unease with no place to sit down. The

art posted on some of the doorways may derive a sense of relatability to many students. The

accumulation of student work derives a number of feelings subjective to the beholder. Hume

similarly believed in this subjective idea of beauty being relative to the individual, “Beauty is in

no quality in things themselves: it exists merely in the mind which contemplates them: and each

mind perceives a different beauty. One person may even perceive deformity, where another is

sensible of beauty; and every individual ought to acquiesce in his own sentiment without

pretending to regulate those of others” (Hume 488). The choice of including a variety of student

arts was likely made to showcase the many personalities that attend College of the Canyons.

Because beauty is subjective, some of these art pieces may be unsettling to some but relaxing to

others. The different feelings the art produces, permits a feeling of variety and quite literally,

mixed feelings. Conversely, the trees within honors grove and the chairs surrounding that side of
 Conley 3

the campus also promote a feeling of relaxation. The pianos situated around this area are open to

those that wish to play, adding to the welcoming energy College of the Canyons attempts to

convey.

Despite the aesthetic choices College of the Canyons makes, people with disabilities may

overlook this as the campus possess many problems and flaws in its structural design. Focusing

in on the Mentry Hall interior specifically, while most of the doors to the classrooms have

printed braille on them, it is not consistent. The elevators and other signs such as the printed

maps do not printed braille on them, which could lead to easy confusion. The water fountains

within Mentry Hall are placed at inconvenient heights that those with dwarfism or are wheelchair

bound would have trouble reaching. The water fountains also possess a green light which

signifies to individuals that the water is clean. People who are color blind have trouble viewing

the color green, which would lead to the risk of them possibly ingesting contaminated water if

the light were to change color. The solution for this would be to place the fountains at a lower

height and include two lights. One constructed for those with color blindness and those that do

not possess it. The space of the hallways are also inconsistent. While some hallways are

spacious, others are narrow. The majority of the doorways are also narrow and have knobs that

could lead to trouble entering the classroom. More buttons to operate the opening and closing of

doors could be of use here. The building is also littered with stairwells while ramps are placed in

areas some may find inconvenient. Specifically the area of refuge also has a stairwell, where

those in wheelchairs need to wait to be picked up in case of an emergency.

All in all, College of the Canyons benefits namely able-bodied individuals who are able

to afford the prices of the textbooks, classes, and materials. While the campus attempts to be

welcoming through its employment of aesthetics, those who have weaker legs or need to use
 Conley 4

wheelchairs may feel frustrated with the sporadic architectural choices College of the Canyons

makes. Those who have trouble seeing may need to have a guide due to the campus’

inconsistency with its braille labels for classrooms, maps, elevators, and other facilities. The

trouble with implementing many of these features may be the overall cost. Therefore, the

administration could organize a donation program that allows students, faculty, and the

community to grant the proper money so that these features can become a possibility. This makes

the public space enjoyable and accommodating for all users and ultimately promotes a truly

accessible campus while reflecting on the inclusive values College of the Canyons should

possess.
 Conley 5

Works Cited

Hume, David. Of the Standard of Taste: Post-Modern Times Aesthetic Classics. Birmingham

Free Press, 2013.

Kant, Immanuel. Critique of Judgement. A&D Publishing, 2018.