New student space brighter with more room to grow
Students will have an opportunity to see the new resources built into the student-centred seventh floor redesign during an open house on Jan. 19. In the meantime, some students are already making themselves at home.
Photo by andrew dobrowolskyj
The seventh floor of the Henry F. Hall Building has received a much-needed facelift, its first since the building opened more than 30 years ago.
“It makes me happy to see everyone here reading, studying or working on their laptops. This is space students didn’t have before,” said Patricia Posius, Director of Auxiliary Services.
The project, a joint collaboration between the Office of Vice-President Services Michael Di Grappa and the Concordia Student Union, took nearly three years and $1.5 million dollars to complete.
Before, the floor was used primarily as cafeteria space. It was a hodgepodge of old mismatched furniture in various states of disrepair. The walls were a dingy yellow.
For the makeover, architect Kirsten Sutherland used a palette of deep teal balanced by lots of white and bursts of fiery orange. The effect is striking, resplendent with abundant natural light.
Students can pick between café tables for snacking or working, and modern slate gray couches and ottomans to lounge on.
Second-year students Jeff Riley and Ashley Munro did the latter during a break.
“We were actually just talking about how there was a lack of space, and then we remembered this place had just opened and came in to sit down,” Riley said.
The Concordia Student Union moved into its new offices, which occupy about one quarter of the floor, late last semester. There are new offices and a computer lab for its clubs. Its Advocacy Centre and student television station CUTV have also moved into new digs.
The CSU facilities also include two new conference rooms. “These are things we didn’t have before, and now they’re being booked weeks in advance,” said Steven Rosenshein, CSU Vice-President Communications.
On Jan. 19, the CSU will hold an opening ceremony from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., complete with refreshments, to let students know about services now available on the floor.
Muslim students have a new dedicated prayer space, with separate entrances for men and women. There is a place to hang coats, and footbaths for each.
“It’s the old dish room, so I said, ‘Why not do the prayer rooms here, because the plumbing we require for the baths is already here,” Posius said.
The mens’ and women’s sides are separated by a retractable divider that ensures privacy, yet can be removed to create one large room.
“We wanted to keep the entire space flexible. I could clear all of furniture out and have a standup reception for 300 people here,” Posius said, surveying the main lounge space.
She said the overhaul is part of a “master plan to bring uniformity back to the Hall Building.” So far, the ninth and eleventh floors have also been redone, and parts of the eighth.
The renovated floors incorporate similar colour schemes and design concepts and also mirror those found in the new buildings such as the EV Complex. The intent is to create harmony on the downtown campus as a whole.