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Union advances on future design
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Redeveloped plans for the new University of Wisconsin Union South project were revealed Monday night at the Design Committee meeting in Memorial Union.
The Wisconsin Union Directorate began with eight designs for how the new Union South will fit onto the current site on Johnson Street, with three more presented the following week.
For the third phase of plans, the committee has narrowed the options down to two: “Terrace 1.0” and “Terrace 2.0.” The two plans have the same arcing design, though they differ in the number of balconies and the rotation of the northwest square portion.
Jan van den Kieboom, principal architect of project lead Workshop Architects, Inc., said one of the main goals of the most recent concept development was to emphasize the relationship to the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery.
WID, which is located across the street from the current Union South, is also undergoing plans for redevelopment. According to John Barnhardt, Wisconsin Union president, because Union South is one year behind WID plans, they must work closely with WID to create complementary buildings.
Monday’s design plans included spaces for a bowling alley, art gallery, coffee lounge, pub, theatre, retail stores, work rooms, hotel rooms and parking. Barnhardt said the interior of the building is not yet decided, but the committee does have a rough idea of what it wants to include.
According to Barnhardt, the grocery store proposed by the Associated Students of Madison is still in the current plans.
WUD has also begun plans for the landscape of the new Union South. Although she said the committee was not proposing anything, Susan Weiler, principal landscaper at Olin Partnership — the company contracted to design the landscape — presented three rough suggestions for the landscape.
“[We are] not telling you what it is yet,” she said. “We’re just trying to get the pieces right.”
Weiler said elements like the incorporation of plants, water and terracing were very important, and asked the committee to consider how they could be incorporated into possible programs such as outdoor seating and an amphitheater.
Attendees voiced concerns about providing a draw to the site, particularly with Wendt Library still standing.
“I like their incorporation of green, but personally I have questions about how much the space is going to be used,” said Rebecca Vanderpool, a UW graduate student. As a student majoring in biomedical engineering, she said she needs to go to the current Union South often, but does not like to go “unless [she] needs to.”
Barnhardt said the group critique and idea sharing is important to the design process.
“Lots of groups come in with their own two cents,” he said. “It’s good to get everyone in the same room.”
According to Barnhardt, plans will be finalized in a “broad scope” May 6. The plans will include the general shape of the building, the number of floors, the designation of spaces and how large allocated spaces are.
He added he does not know when exact locations and what will fill each spot will be decided.
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There’s nothing wrong with the ‘old’ Union South, except for its hideous ugliness. Let the students vote again to kill this albatross.
Lets stop building really ugly buildings and then tearing them down 30 or 40 years later. Can’t we just make buildings that look nice from the beginning and last more than a couple decades????
The current south is fine for what it is, but could be much more. The space is inefficiently used, with more open corridor than useable space. With the same building footprint, you could put enough spaces of value to draw people to Union South for more than just a nap, some ice cream, and a chance to check your email.