Union officials held an open forum for students and faculty Wednesday, listening to feedback and providing reasons to address future reconstructive projects of Memorial Union and Union South as a part of the Campus Master Plan.

Held by Janell Wise, Wisconsin Union president, and led by J. Eric Moss, principal architect of Ayers/Saint/Gross Inc., the forum gave attendees a chance to learn more about future renovation ideas as well as pose questions to leading architects.

Moss said the former 2002 renovation plan for the university's unions was recently revamped, as many students who gave feedback on the plan no longer attend the university.

Noting a recent web-based survey that had 5,483 student participants, Moss said the main problem with the unions is the lack of sufficient space for student events.

Wise acknowledged capacity issues and the difficulty of attaining space for student events at the unions.

"We turn away thousands of student organizations for space in [the Memorial Union] because we just can't accommodate all that space," she said. "So having other large-event meeting spaces in Union South will help alleviate all of that."

The reconstruction design currently plans to restore the Memorial Union and completely rebuild Union South.

During the forum, Moss said officials' goals for the Memorial Union are to "restore historic spaces, preserve recent investments, upgrade systems throughout and improve accessibility."

"[We hope to] maintain [Memorial Union's] character while providing additional space for unmet student needs," he said.

Wise emphasized the Memorial Union construction would not involve extreme changes, but rather help the building last longer.

"A lot of [the renovations] would not be radical expansion; it would be restoration," she said. "It would really be making sure that this building, which has lasted for 75 years and has been utilized by lots of students, can last for another 75 years."

Moss said the goal for the new Union South is to "create a facility complementary to, yet distinct from, Memorial Union."

Some possible ideas for the new Union South included a roof garden, lounge with cityscape views, central atrium or winter garden and colonnade-wrapped outdoor room.

The idea of demolishing the current Union South facility to rebuild coincides with the building's longevity.

"Union South was constructed in 1972 from [U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development] funds, about 33 years ago, and was built as a 30-year structure," Moss said, adding the possibility of demolishing the current Union South to build a new structure has received little to no student opposition.

"No one has really said, 'Please don't tear down Union South,'" he said.

Wise said the funding for Union South's reconstruction and Memorial Union's restoration would not come from HUD funds, however, but from a variety of sources.

"Just like student fees were a part of the University Square project that's going on for the student activity center, student fees would be a part of the renovations of the facilities' improvements," she said.

A combination of private and alumni donations, money from internal operating budgets and food service and student fees would fund the construction, Wise added.