First Question, why was Ping built without a pool in the damn building? I know we have the Aquatic Center next to bird, but it's a piece of crap for only being 30 years old.
Alternate opinion: Like New Baker, Ping was a semi-disaster from the start.
Baker was a disaster? It has won multiple awards for design and has influenced students to come to the school. How on earth is it a semi-disaster? I almost want to smack you through my computer.
The first few years were still a lot more "trial and error" than they should have been in way too many aspects, just an overall lack of planning IMO. Of course, most of that is Dining related because Rich Neumann is incompetent, but I digress. Swank is right regarding architectural awards, what new building doesn't win one from some organization? Just a marketing thing.
The ongoing complaint (and it came up in my one year on Senate w/ Kent Smith) is that while it is a magnificent building, it is still VERY sterile looking on the inside for a student center. You'd have no freaking clue you were at OU if someone blindfolded you and placed you in the building (they addressed that some on the first floor across from the cafeteria thankfully).
Don't get me wrong, I and most everyone LOVES the building, but let's not act like it was perfect in all facets from the get go.