SBCS Yeh or Neh ?

The School of Business and Computer Science (SBCS) was started by Robin Maraj on a small scale in 1987 and has since grown into four campuses throughout Trinidad. The Trincity campus opened its doors on the 5th of September, 2008 and is located on the corner of Beaulieu Avenue & Trincity Boulevard, Trincity. This campus was designed by architect Roy Mahabir. Thanks to Stein for that piece of information.

My first reaction to this building was one of bewilderment. I wanted to know who designed this travesty that was placed in my community ! This was my view of this SBCS campus and it changed slightly when I documented it through photographs. The look of it alone is eye opening, Gehry like, but you have to wonder what was the generator for such a facade ? Did the architect see a pile of scrap metal at a construction site ? or maybe it is what he thinks a futuristic building should look like ? or maybe he really dug deep and gnawed at the fabric of what really makes great architecture. This we do not know until he writes an article, or is interviewed.

As you can see from the photographs, the building’s facade is made up of large pieces of metal with a standing seam finish. I have only seen this particular metal component used exclusively for roofing, but here Mr. Mahabir has used it to clad the exterior of his building. He has used portions of these materials on the other SBCS campuses, but this one is the only one fully covered in the material. Interesting I must say, but issues do arise from this method of using metal. The main and most obvious issue is heat buildup during the day. Also, the only open to outside space is the cafeteria, the rest of the building is supposedly sealed off from the outside and cooled by air conditioning. The efforts to cool the building is represented by the numerous compressors outside, lining the northern, southern and western facades of the building. The electricity bill has to be exorbitant, to keep the interior at a comfortable temperature, as well as providing electricity for computers as well as lighting. Speaking of lighting, day lighting is only facilitated by portholes doted on the facade, rectangular windows and one long diagonal strip of glass is used to light a stairwell.

My major issue with this building, is its location. How would you feel if you looked out your front window and saw that structure, everyday ? Going to and coming home from work, going to the grocery or even going for a walk. I do not know how much they lobbied to prevent such a building from being constructed, but I know I would have chained myself to the first tractor on site. One can argue that the construction of an institute is more important than the concerns of a few home owners, but these home owners have been part of the community for over ten years, so they definitely should have a say in what happens in their community.

    I like the fact that Mr. Mahabir is using his own style to create what looks like an interesting building. It’s better to try new things than go with what you know but I think this building could have been placed somewhere else. I have not seen the interior personally but I saw some photographs on the SBCS website here [http://bit.ly/aheGcz]

What do you guys think? Feel free to comment below.