Minutes From the Campus Center Planning Meeting on January 28, 2003

Those present: Tom Crady, Sheree Andrews, Barb Trish, Michael Sims, Frank Thomas, Linda Price, Bob Cadmus, Brian Turner, Eli Zigas, Dick Williams, Mark Godar, Joseph Oppong, Katie Pieper

Cesar-Pelli: Darin Cook and Phil Nelson
Ricca Associates: Al Moeller, Jack Su, and Sandra Bissard

Darin talked about minor changes to the campus center plans. The dining area is being developed and interior materials chosen. A restroom was added in the lower level. Storage has been increased in the multi-purpose room. The width of the lower level hallway is 7 feet and this was discussed in terms of moving goods throughout that area. The furniture layout in classrooms is being developed. The kosher kitchen design and development is progressing. Structural systems are being coordinated. There are custodial closets on each floor which are 6 feet by 6 feet. Brick material for each outside area of the building was displayed. The multi-purpose room will have brown brick, the office of student affairs will have black brick and the meeting room and lounges will have an orange brick. The inside facade of the multi-purpose room will have green slate. The dining pavilion will have cream slate. Red volcano slate will be used for the fireplace. There will be lots of color and a variety of materials throughout the bu ilding. Burlington Stone will be on the inside of the building. A wooden slat material will be used in many of the ceilings. This material will help with the acoustics. A block wood flooring will be used in the multi-purpose room. Sound proofing the multi-purpose room will be addressed. There will be carpeting in some areas throughout the building. The student affairs offices will be carpeted as well as the fireplace lounge. The furniture in the multi-purpose room will be movable. There will be wood strip flooring in the grill and the gallery; the game room and the back area in the post office will have a vinyl or linoleum. The dining room will have different kinds of flooring; carpet, wood, etc. The second floor is almost all carpet. The catering kitchen will have tile or sheet vinyl. The third floor is primarily carpet but the student organization area will have a vinyl tile. A wide variety of material will be used in the lower level.

The LEEDS workshop may have some effect on the types of materials used. Some design concerns were discussed. The suggestions from the comment box in the grill were shared. Light pollution, green design and parking were issues raised as well as the size of the building. An area to display student and faculty art was discussed. The College would need to give the architects direction if this area for art is to be included. The decision should be done by design, not by default. There's not much room on the ground for art so other areas in the campus center would need to be considered. Mark Godar said parking and lighting concerns were being addressed by the administration. Parking on the periphery is being expanded, but there will not be a lot of parking close to the campus center. Al Moeller discussed changes in the dining areas since the last meeting. A beverage counter was added and another beverage counter was relocated. The size of the loading docks was increased. The design of the southwest grill was addressed. The committee didn't want that grill area to look too commercial. The chefs want the option to add or delete equipment from catering supplies. The design level is at 50% now and the complete design should be done by the end of May. The budgets will be tracked to stay on target. Tables in the center dining area will be for two people with round tables seating four to eight around them. Oval tables on the perimeter can be moved together to make a larger group setting. Oval tables will seat 12. Total seating in the central dining area is 248. Student representatives on the committee felt students would want larger tables. Oval tables might lend for more conversation. Longer tables could be used in the pavilion. The marsche dining concept with food prepared a various venues is a new concept for the campus community.

The southwest grill will be open later. Serving venues are interspersed with seating. Congestion and clutter in the dining entry way was addressed. The architects didn't think this would be a problem but would take a closer look at the design. Tray stands will be scattered throughout the dining facility. Tray size and where the trays would be bussed was discussed. The architects didn't think that cross traffic entering and leaving the dining area would be a problem. The committee talked about the aesthetics of the grill. The grill won't take the place of the Expresses which will be discontinued. Some of the products offered by the Expresses maybe located elsewhere. According to the dining survey students prefer to get a full meal at night, so the products from the Expresses may not be needed. Two service elevators connect the levels of the building with the catering and kosher kitchens on the second floor. Laundry and baking facilities are on the lower level. Elevators on the lower level will be double sided to aid in deliveries. Service needs should be coordinated with specific equipment. There should be as much flexibility in the design as possible. The landscaping plans were proposed. The building will be raised three feet with a sunken garden in the courtyard. Plantings will be placed by the railroad tracks. The entrance will be a sloped ramp with a covered walk. There will be a driveway to the courtyard to facilitate deliveries of equipment. The issue of skate boarding was raised and how to keep skate boarding off the ramp. Trees will be planted in the courtyard and a natural buffer will be planed to keep students from coming into the food service area. The building is required to have an egress path around the perimeter. Redbud trees maybe used for plantings. Landscaping on 8th avenue was discussed as was a drop off area for the science building. The question was asked if there should be raised crossing on 8th avenue to connect the campus center and the science building. Frank will talk w/the safety commission about this issue. There maybe a change in the paving material for this area. The architects didn't want to encourage a pull-in at the entranc e of the campus center. If this building is thought of as the "hub" of the campus, a pull-in would be necessary. The courtyard will be approximately 150x90. Student recreation shouldn't damage the grass in this area. If students wear a path across the courtyard, it should then be paved. Students will want to use the courtyard for outdoor events and tables could be moved outside for dining. It was suggested the architects for the campus center, residence halls and science building meet to discuss the interaction of the three buildings, landscaping, parking, etc. The College needs to work with the railroad to design more crosswalks and pathways.

The lighting plans were proposed. The building is designed to look like a cluster of buildings. Each space should have a separate identity and lighting should define a clear path through the space. Skylights might be used in the upper level. The same decorative motif will be used on the double level area. Incandescent lighting will be used in e-mail area. For a better LEEDS rating the more natural light, the less artificial light will be needed. Colored glass panes are suggested for the dining area to add a different prospective. Discussion followed as to how the lights would be cleaned with a ladder or a Genie Lift. Replicating the light fixtures in the Wells Fargo Bank was also discussed. The committee wanted to be sure if someone were on the balcony the lighting would permit you to see into the courtyard. There will be direct light on the tables. Incandescent light tends to make food look green and doesn't follow a LEEDS plan. It would be helpful to have a mock-up to see how lighting affects food. There w ill be no illumination on the outside of the building. On the fireplace all there will be sconces with both up and down lighting. There will be table and floor lamps around the seating areas. The multi-purpose room would have a pattern of decorative lights all around the room. A horizontal lighting band would go around the room. Incandescent lights should be used here. The projection component makes it imperative to have the lighting be dimmable. This area needs to be flexible as far as lighting is concerned. The post office will have a continuous florescent light with a down source in the middle. The lighting on the walls where the post office boxes will be located maybe a square pendant or a wall sconce. This is still under consideration. The highest light level would be needed for cleaning. There would be different light levels for each area. At this point the committee dispersed for the open forum.