Architect submits Tech Rec proposal

When the Student Center came forward in July with a proposal to convert part of the Tech Rec space into a multipurpose room, the exact details remained vague and yet to be fleshed out.

The picture became clearer this week as ai3 Inc., the architecture firm retained by the Student Center for this project, presented its proposal for the space. Students are now being asked for feedback regarding the new design.

Next week full details of the changes will be on display in Tec Rec. All students are encouraged to stop by and give their feedback on the drawings before the final design is implemented. The time is limited by the fact that the architect has only been retained through Thanksgiving. Should any major changes to the plans occur after then, additional fees will be imposed.

The architect will also be attending Tuesday's meetings of the Undergraduate House of Representatives and the Graduate Student Senate to present the proposal to each chamber of SGA and all students are encouraged to attend those meetings as well.

The plan is currently labelled an interim design, but should it be carried out, the biggest consequence will be the relocation of the billiards tables in the front to the back area currently occupied by air hockey and table tennis.

In place of the tables will be the multipurpose room and a lounge. The entrance will also be extensively renovated to make the facility more inviting from the outside and a bigger draw for Student Center pedestrians.

The multipurpose room is intended to be able to accomodate approximately 60-70 people and could be used for purposes ranging from dance classes to accomodating parties when the entire Tech Rec space gets rented out. Besides being able to be used in conjunction with the other Tech Rec resources, it would be an alternative to the frequently rented-out Student Center Ballroom and other similar locations around campus.

But a drawback is that some current parts of Tech Rec may be eliminated to make space for the proposed design. It has yet to be determined where air hockey and table tennis will be relocated.

"If [the multipurpose room] was just another option or an addition to the space, then yeah, we'll take it, but it's not just another option, we're getting rid of something to have that in its place," said Scott McGraw, a second-year Mechanical Engineering major and Tech Rec employee.

A major intention of this planned upgrade is to broaden the appeal of Tech Rec among students. According to the architect's report, "Tech Rec doesn't cater to all students, [it's] only a destination for those that are into gaming, pool, and bowling." Therefore, the multipurpose room is touted as as method to bring new visitors to the facility on a more regular basis.

Employees at Tech Rec don't necessarily see that as a good thing.

"The purpose of the multipurpose studio is to allow other people from outside the Tech Rec community to use our space, which is kind of odd because they're not using our space to do our stuff, they're using it to do their stuff," said Matthew Postema, second-year STAC major and Tech Rec employee.

A 2007 Auxiliary Services survey shows that 54% of respondents never visited Tech Rec, and Abi Shama, a third-year Industrial Engineering major, could have counted himself in that group until, as a member of the Student Center Program's Council he was recruited to be among the first group of students to see the architect's proposal and give feedback.

"I could be one of the majority of people that just don't go there. If you go to the Student Center you probably hang a left to check your mail and go to the Student Center Commons and hang out, or you go upstairs to grab a bite to eat. But you don't really hang a right [to enter Tech Rec]," Sharma said.

"We hope to get some more T.V.'s and seating and events happening there, so when you have some free time between classes you'll go to Tech Rec and hang out, and maybe bowl.... When I saw the plans, I just felt like it was just conducive to a better environment," Sharma said.