Discover the quirks of some of McMaster’s oldest and newest buildings
When McMaster’s Hamilton campus first opened its doors in 1930, it consisted of five buildings: University Hall, Hamilton Hall, Wallingford Hall, Edwards Hall, and the Refectory. These buildings were designed in the Collegiate Gothic style and inspired by universities such as Oxford and Cambridge.
The ornamental stonework featured on University Hall and Hamilton Hall is typical of the Gothic architectural style. These two buildings were designed by architect William Lyon Somerville. The carvings above the University Hall Arch (pictured) depict students wearing graduation caps.
The McMaster Health Sciences Centre was designed by architect Eberhart Zeigler, with the intention of “never being finished.” The interior of the building was designed without the need for structural support walls, allowing for future modification.
This building was designed in the Brutalist architecture style that emerged in the mid-1900s and first opened in 1972.
Among McMaster’s newest buildings are The Hub (2024), the Peter George Centre for Living and Learning (2019), and L. R. Wilson Hall (2017). L. R. Wilson Hall features a concert hall, blackbox theatre, interactive classrooms and an inner courtyard (pictured). The Peter George Centre was designed by architecture firm Diamond Schmitt. The four-storey atrium is naturally lit by a skylight and features a spiral staircase.
Point Of View
By: Matty Flader, Photo Reporter
We’re taught from a young age that certain things in the world are constant. There’s a northern star in the sky, a brain in our heads and art for those who can’t use that brain towards “something more productive”. Yet, if you ask a group of people to take their own photos of the same thing, you’ll get a myriad of results. Suddenly, the illusion of some consistent reality is shattered. Our points of view dictate what we see and how we understand. It’s so easy to think that reality is a constant and tangible construct, but what can truthfully be said to be “real” without it first being filtered through the infinitely varying human perspective? Thus, reality can only fairly be understood as socially constructed through some sort of collective agreement. This is my visual recap of Supercrawl — the way I saw things. My contribution of “something more productive” to reality.
#unignorable
By: Cindy Cui, Photo Editor
Poverty, domestic violence, social isolation and mental illness. Sometimes, the most serious problems in our communities are the ones we don’t see. By ignoring these issues, we make it more difficult for those who are suffering to find and receive the help they need. Instead, these people feel silenced, suffocated and invisible. As communities, we can help … but only if we recognize that these problems exist — only if we give them our attention. It's time that we make such issues, circumstances and stories #unignorable.
