Preparing for Cage Life

Cornell’s campus has historically been identifiable for its rare landscape and striking natural beauty. It may soon become one that stands out by the intricate protective fences that will be constructed on nearly every campus bridge.  As part of a widely publicized and drastic overhaul of public safety measures, the University plans to install permanent barriers to resolve the year-long conflict between students and administrators on how best to prevent student suicides.

In a widely overlooked report submitted to Cornell University in early November, Office dA, the Boston-based architecture firm contracted to design the barriers, proposes options for fencing in Cornell’s most notorious bridges.  Cornell has so far spent $350,000 on temporary fencing according to The Daily Sun, and the cost will only rise as construction on the final structures is completed.

Below are some images of what the $600,000 spent by the school to hire Office dA has bought so far.  There are several different designs, and in expected Ivy League artsy fashion, none are as dull or mundane as the chain-links or black bars that have lined the walkways and roads previously. Although the fence debate is inevitably controversial, it’s proving to be immortal as well.  Deirdre Mulligan wrote a very persuasive guest article in The Sun, but that’s not to say it’s the only legitimate argument.

Seeing the proposal for these fences turns a theoretical issue into a practical one.  While many students vehemently take sides on the fence issue, the images of the fences have yet to come into the discussion.  Nagowski at MetaEzra has been the only one to publish the images so far, albeit apparently mislabeled.

Office dA has proposed hyperbolic fence shapes, cage designs, and what appear to be nets underneath some bridges.  In addition to these new structures, the firm has presented schematics for sidewalk benches and rest areas, as well as emergency phone locations along the bridges and security cameras.