- Home >
- Campus News
Steady progress
July 13, 2007
On a recent tour of the University Center, John Kaniss, construction projects manager, showed off the building’s transformation.
The renovation of the building – the first in its 30-year history – is right on track, he said. The improvements include an expanded dining hall, additional meeting and conference space and more student gathering areas.
The building’s exterior received a fresh coat of paint, and construction is nearly complete on the ground floor.
Changes to the ground floor include a new configuration. The Campus Ministry office, Coffee Shop and commuter and Lute lounges no longer exist.
The Campus Ministry office was demolished, leaving an open space and exposing the back staircase. The space is slated to become a lounge area, complete with comfortable seating and Wi-Fi, Kaniss said.
Meanwhile, the Coffee Shop space has been divided into two meeting rooms, while the former lounges were split into an array of office suites. The suites will be used by ASPLU, student media and student-run organizations, as well as student-oriented offices such as Residential Life, Campus Ministry and Student Involvement and Leadership.
Upstairs on the main floor, the building gained valuable real estate with the relocation of the bookstore to Garfield Commons. The former bookstore has been divided into a cadre of conference and meeting rooms and additional storage for Dining Services. The former meeting room space will revert to the greatly expanded dining hall.
The outside entrance to The Cave opens onto a new concrete plaza. The plaza connects to the street in front of Tingelstad via a “grass-crete” drive, giving emergency vehicles access to the UC. The plaza is such a neat space that campus offices are already calling dibs to use it for events, Kaniss said.
Under the current renovation plan, the building should obtain a silver certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. The program evaluates green buildings. The Morken Center received a gold certification last July.
Tours of the building are held every Thursday at 2 p.m. Groups meet at the Sellen Construction trailer, located in the UC loading dock area off of Park Street. Reserve a spot by contacting Construction Projects at PLU at devinema@plu.edu or ext. 5780.
The building’s exterior received a fresh coat of paint, and construction is nearly complete on the ground floor.
Changes to the ground floor include a new configuration. The Campus Ministry office, Coffee Shop and commuter and Lute lounges no longer exist.
The Campus Ministry office was demolished, leaving an open space and exposing the back staircase. The space is slated to become a lounge area, complete with comfortable seating and Wi-Fi, Kaniss said.
Meanwhile, the Coffee Shop space has been divided into two meeting rooms, while the former lounges were split into an array of office suites. The suites will be used by ASPLU, student media and student-run organizations, as well as student-oriented offices such as Residential Life, Campus Ministry and Student Involvement and Leadership.
Upstairs on the main floor, the building gained valuable real estate with the relocation of the bookstore to Garfield Commons. The former bookstore has been divided into a cadre of conference and meeting rooms and additional storage for Dining Services. The former meeting room space will revert to the greatly expanded dining hall.
The outside entrance to The Cave opens onto a new concrete plaza. The plaza connects to the street in front of Tingelstad via a “grass-crete” drive, giving emergency vehicles access to the UC. The plaza is such a neat space that campus offices are already calling dibs to use it for events, Kaniss said.
Under the current renovation plan, the building should obtain a silver certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program. The program evaluates green buildings. The Morken Center received a gold certification last July.
Tours of the building are held every Thursday at 2 p.m. Groups meet at the Sellen Construction trailer, located in the UC loading dock area off of Park Street. Reserve a spot by contacting Construction Projects at PLU at devinema@plu.edu or ext. 5780.