A better West Union

Tuesday, architects from the firm Grimshaw held an open house for students to view and comment on plans for the new West Union building their firm is designing. The early results are very encouraging. In both their designs and solicitation of feedback, the architects demonstrated an awareness of the needs this new building must fulfill. As currently proposed, the new building will reconceive student space on campus by providing a social hub at its heart. The New West Union will hopefully serve as a place students want to be, not just a place they have to be.

The new West Union building will serve as a keystone for West Campus life after its completion. The overhaul represents an opportunity to correct the current architectural oddities hampering social interaction. Whereas the old, inadequate West Union leaves students with few other options for public, communal social spaces, the new West Union promises to encourage fluid, interconnected and open social community.

These advancements are grounded in the physical, spatial transformations envisioned. The old West Union is an rudimentary assemblage of nooks and crannies—its many rooms feel cloistered and isolated, and the building lacks intuitive passageways, inhibiting any sense of connectivity amongst the students inside. As proposed, the new West Union identifies these shortcomings and works to correct them.

The values the building wants to advance—openness, socializing and visibility—are matched in the building’s physical attributes. A prominent and fluid central staircase connecting the floors of a glass-covered tiered atrium will unify the space. Students inhabiting the building for myriad reasons—to study, eat and play—will be visible to each other. Large glass windows promise to make the new building brighter and more attractive. Crucially, the inclusion of so much space designated explicitly for students, including Link-like areas for studying, activity space for socializing and seating areas for dining and conversation, signals prioritization of the needs of a diverse and active student community.

Currently, the only true 24/7 communal space on West Campus is Perkins Library, if one doesn’t count the eateries McDonald’s and Pitchfork Provisions. We wholeheartedly support the development of the new West Union building as a more attractive alternative. We hope the architects and the administration will join to execute the construction of a building that accomplishes this vision. A pub, proposed for the ground floor occupied formerly by the Outpost, would be a unique and welcome addition to on-campus social life. The new West Union should be versatile and include space for after-hours gatherings—including a performance space and a late-night eatery. Sustainability should also continue to be a priority.

Finally, we encourage students to remain engaged. With construction scheduled for Fall 2014, the window of opportunity for impactful student input is shrinking. Future open houses present crucial opportunities for student voices to be heard. Instead of leaving creative decisions up to administrators, we encourage student leaders formally involved in the process to proactively assess and advocate for student needs. Right now all signs are encouraging, but the architect’s vision is not set in stone. Students still have the opportunity to influence how this building takes shape, and we hope they take the opportunity to do so.