Texas State Capitol Essay

538 Words2 Pages

The Humanistic Aspects of the Texas State Capitol While the Texas State Capitol is known for its grandness and austerity with its 308 feet height and large scale, its symmetry and balance which contributes to its formality, and the use of granite which gives the building a sense of heaviness and power, the architecture also has a humanistic side. With an expansive, open and accessible lawn and public space in front of the building, the Texas State Capitol also serves as a public park and tourist attraction in addition to the conforming use of government building. On festivals and holiday, parades and celebrations occurs on the axial avenue that leads up to the building. On these occasions, stands with boutiques, food, and other festive merchants are set up, and people of all ages, social and ethnic backgrounds are attracted here to celebrate with the Capitol …show more content…

When I was visiting the building, a group of children with cardboard were seen in front of the building on a sloping lawn. They would place the cardboard on the top of the slope, sit on it, and let the gravity do its job and slide down the sloping hill, screaming and laughing happily. Meanwhile, the parents would gather on the street and chat while keeping a close eye on the children, not worrying about traffic since the area is pedestrian and free from intrusion. Grass pulled up by the friction of the cardboard would scatter here and there on the concrete road; nevertheless, the imperfection due to the human activity adds to the humanistic aspects of the architecture making it less intimidating and friendlier. The green landscape around the capitol building with lawns in front and rose gardens in the back provided periodic natural relief from the forest of skyscrapers of downtown Austin, which makes the building more inviting to the

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