I have been getting quite a few University Building for review and see many already accepted.
I understand that there may be POIs at the university that are eligible but what are other reviewers opinion on the actual buildings.
I understand that students will “socialise” there but believe there main purpose is for the education, suppose this could be deemed as “explore”.
So what is your views and as there been any official comment on this?
TIA
I also feel like the educational buildings meet the “exploration” criteria. I think dorms don’t meet criteria in themselves as just living spaces for students, but an argument for acceptance of a specific one could be made on social or historical grounds. What other kinds of University Buildings have you been seeing?
I don’t have any that I saved but for example the University at the closest city to me lists 7 buildings.
Most I see have very little info with at the most University Name and Building Name as the Title plus the subjects available in that building.
I can understand if they are nominating “is our bespoke performance space, where drama students rehearse and put on shows” but it seems that nominators are stating “It’s a University Building, It’s acceptable”.
As my common go to I have “Skipped” several where the nominator hasn’t stated why it meets criteria but just expects that all university building should be accepted…
Similar to the expectation that all footpath markers should be accepted so minimal effort is put into some submissions. It’s not just university buildings that suffer from this, but pretty much anything that is “auto-acceptable” is going to find some lazy submitters.
I suppose my ultimate question is whether I should continue to skip the “lazy nominations” or Reject in regards to University Buildings.
I have submitted a few university buildings myself, but see some and think “meh, doesn’t want to be a wayspot”. I’m trying to use the same criteria for reviews - if it’s a university building that doesn’t deserve to be a wayspot, I’ll reject it. If it’s a lazy submission, but the POI itself is eligible, I’ll probably skip.
Some places, there are so many different university buildings that they all start merging together and becoming non-distinct, even if a different subject is hosted by each one.
Depends on how the University Buildings are being sold I guess.
Plus is it named after someone [locally] famous to the community? To the university? Is it designed after some well-known designer / architect? That often carries more weight and relevance.
An example would be good.
I’m also not keen on university building nominations, unless they’re architecturally interesting, or hosts sports, plays, art shows, or something. Dorm buildings especially have a high bar - same as nominating an apartment building in-and-of itself - it needs to have something special.
Most educational buildings have something inside that’s more interesting that the fact that it’s a building. A plaque with info on the person the building was named after. A display, such as antique medical equipment or fossils. A statue or mural. It makes me sad when someone uses up the cell with a cookie-cutter building, when there was something else cool to use instead.
I’d try and do a little research into what the building is being used for if the submitter doesn’t provide enough info. Usually the university’s website has more info that isn’t too hard to find.
If it’s being used by one of the departments and classes and labs may take place there, I’d say that meets the explore criteria. If it’s a student union, commons, dining services or another building where students can hang out, maybe grad a bite to eat, that would fall under the social criteria. Wellness and fitness centers, as well as sports fields/arenas would fall under the exercise criteria. These may all fall under one of the other criteria, but I’m just listing the main ones for each example.
Dorms are usually seen as ineligible, since they are where students live; I kind of see them as being similar to an indistinct apartment building. A dorm could be eligible if it’s a historic building or of unique architecture. Gathering spaces and sports fields/courts outside of dorms could be eligible, as they’re great place to be social and/or get some exercise.
I’ve also seen a few maintenance buildings with Wayspots that, unfortunately, I wouldn’t be able to get removed, even though they don’t meet any of the 3 criteria.
Sure, those things can be nominated. But a nomination for a building, is for the building (its architecture or history or something). If a building has a fitness center inside it - we nominate the fitness center.
No, not always. The building may be for the science department, where science classes and labs take place. It may just have a name of Joe Smith Hall, and it may now have a great description that explains that it’s the science department building, but most times one can find more info online that it is, and that because of the educational value, it’s a place that’s worth exploring.
Submitters almost never are submitting the building, but what the building is being used for, and what it’s used for is what is of importance. A dorm is like an apartment building, making it indistinct (unless of historic/cultural value), whereas a hall where classes take place and departments are headquartered are worth exploring, as they are important to the community, which is the university in this case.
Personally, I have to agree with @MargariteDVille comments.
What I am taking away from this is that the buildings “could” be eligible but if I can make a plea to “University Building Nominators” please consider other more interested POIs first before blocking the cell with the building…
Most of the other interesting POIs already have Wayspots, so that’s why the buildings then get nominated. Take a look around at toms of the other Wayspots that are already approved, and I bet a good deal are things that may be eligible that most wouldn’t argue about, like art, unions, etc.
And again, it really depends on what the building is being used for, as that’s what’s going to be meeting criteria most likely, not the actual building, unless historic or culturally significant.
For example, when you nominate a church, you may not be nominating the building it’s in, as it could be located in a business park, a former department store, even a former restaurant/bar space. You are nominating the church that’s currently in the space, not always the space itself.
Great question.
I’ve seen endless university buildings and most of them are just not notable. Who care about the Department of X or Institute of Y in some nondescript building?
Most university campuses have a wealth of architecturally interesting buildings, or places for students to socialise, or public artworks. But not every university building should be a wayspot IMO. Libraries can often be terrific buildings by well-known architects, submissions can always be improved by mentioning the history or architectural significance.
Many care about the educational departments and colleges located in the buildings, especially the students attending and the faculty teaching there. Being they are of educational value to the community, they meet the explore criteria.
Many of the examples for great places to explore are of educational value to a community, such as libraries, museums, nature signs. The explore criteria also notes that a POI may meet criteria if it “teaches us about the community we live in,” which happens at many university buildings where classes take place and education departments are located.
You may not agree that they do not meet criteria, but based on the criteria, they may be eligible, and to me, they usually are for the educational value to the community.
Probably the professors and students leading research projects that can very meaningful to the local and even global community. Obviously, not every campus building, but learning happens in academic buildings and learning is a part of Exploration.
Actually there are a lot of impactful departments, my irl friend has submitted Center for Research & Transfer of Science and Technology , or Faculty of Environment & Natural Resource or General chemistry laboratory . They are impactful to the Ho Chi Minh City University of Agriculture and Forestry as a great place to socialize by being a big educational hub and a great research location too.
If you’ve never been to college, try to imagine yourself there, and think of the importance of what’s in those buildings and the importance of those things to the community. As someone that did attend college, I can clearly see the educational value of the buildings, even if the submitter doesn’t provide the best info when nominating. The university will have more info on their website about what’s housed in those buildings, whether that be science, math, languages, other other subjects of study.
University buildings aren’t auto-rejects, and even if the submitter doesn’t do the best job of explaining why the building is of importance, that info can ususally be found online and allow you to confirm or not the importance to the community.
Important many of them may be - but that doesn’t necessarily mean the meet one of the criteria of exploration, socialisation or exercise.
Let’s take the easy ones first - sports halls, gyms, outdoor sports venues etc meet the purpose of exercise. Student unions, refectories, event spaces, even outdoor seating areas can meet the criteria for socialisation.
So then you are looking at exploration. Ignoring things like public art, noticeboards, parkland etc and concentrating on the buildings themselves, what is it that makes that worth exploring? It might be worth exploring if it’s a historic building or if it’s architecturally interesting, and often there are a lot of buildings like that.. but there are a lot that aren’t and are just not distinct. There are a lot of truly bland buildings, sometimes houses converted into different function as well. Just in the same way that every shop in a town centre would not make a good wayspot, the same is true for university buildings as well, in my opinion they should not get a special exception because of their use.
Who said anyone is ignoring other eligible POIs at universities? So much of the eligible POIs, like art, picnic areas, etc, already have Wayspots, along with the educational halls. Some universities just don’t have much in the way of other eligible POIs also, so that’s why the buildings are of importance to their community, and are worth exploring.
Again, look at it from the angle of someone at a university/college, not as an outsider, and you might see things differently.