PSAD Paducah School
of Art and Design
While this blog post may be brief, I just had to share the
“crown jewel” in the PSAD Campus, the 2D and Graphic Design Building. I am neither an architect nor a contractor,
but I came away from my tour with an appreciation of good old-fashioned
American craftsmanship. It was
industrial art in my eyes. Specifically,
it is the attention to detail in which the heating and air-conditioning system
along with the electrical layout are just there to be appreciated.
Seriously, there is something about the art of all that
HVAC/electrical “stuff” that is usually covered by so many ceiling tiles. Yes, it is new and shiny, but it is the care,
the way it was put into the ceiling of the building that just blew me
away. Really. When you see long runs of silvery electrical
conduit that are perfectly spaced, each run parallel to the next, it is
impressive. When those long runs curve
in graceful arcs that they themselves are in perfect alignment, there is art
going on. At least to my eyes. The “flat oval” shaped HVAC conduit is far
away from the usual spiral wound duct that is often the norm. Look closely at the way it is attached, and
fine detail is there to appreciate. No
plumber’s strap here. Stainless steel
multi stranded wire carefully angled for strength and athletics is evident.
There are lots of really cool features in this renovated
building, from earthquake strengthening to reuse of the wood from a hundred
year old building, to white boxed walls.
It is all there in harmony. But this
Wednesday, it was all that “art and design” in the uncovered ceiling that did
it for me.
Now go see what excites you in PSAD’s “crown jewel” at 9th
and Harrison.
