Imprisoned Architecture

In “Two Schools of Thought” (Nov. 1), Times architecture critic Nicolai Ouroussoff applauds recent school architecture, saying it “deserves our exuberant, gushing praise.” My first impression, from studying the photo of the Science Center elementary school, was that it looked like a military base or a jail, both institutions with which I have experience. Perhaps the designer intended to symbolize the regimentation of children, which hardly deserves “our exuberant praise.”

DOUGLAS HERMAN

Santa Monica