Wisconsin Union: Experiences for a Lifetime

Talking Points for the
Wisconsin Union Initiative Building Project

What?
In 2006, thanks to the Student Union Initiative, UW-Madison students voted to renovate Memorial Union and build a new, larger and better south campus student union. The first phase of the project will focus on the new union, with design work on Memorial Union beginning in 2010-11.

This new “green” union will be a gateway to the south campus and link to Camp Randall as well as offer students more meeting and activity space, more amenities such as a convenience store, multi-use auditorium and more dining options. The building will be nearly twice the size as the existing union.

According to the initial timeline, the existing Union South will come down in spring 2009; construction will be completed in summer 2011.

Meanwhile, design sub-committees are conducting research and gathering input and feedback from students and other stakeholders for the architects to help us develop plans concerning the nature of the building, programming, services and activities. This process is moving very quickly, and we are about a month away from having a completed conceptual design.

Why?

Union South is not meeting student needs according to various surveys, focus groups and other data. A new bigger, better and more inviting new south campus union on the same site is the best answer:
Analysis has shown that is it just as cost effective to rebuild as to renovate, and with its ‘green’ design, would slash energy costs in the long-term. As planned, such a structure would:
Create a new campus green space which serves as a gateway to the south side of campus, which students reported they want;
Create an enduring campus center with its own identity in an evolving campus precinct
Create a 21st Century green building, UW-Madison’s first LEED-rated example of sustainable design
Move some functions from Memorial Union to create additional space there
Create an urban center providing entertainment, recreation and food including sports pub, coffee house and climbing wall
Offer a true home for SOAR, creating positive first impressions for new students and their families
Add a large event space for student dances, fairs, conferences and more
Add an auditorium with 400 seats
Feature expanded lounge space for that end of campus
Memorial Union needs substantial upgrades and renovation. It’s nearly 80 years old and has hosted nearly 10,000 visitors daily since the 70s. Specifics include the need to:
Upgrade systems and improve accessibility
Maintain Memorial Union’s iconic structure and historic significance to the campus while repairing parts of the building that are showing 80 years of heavy usage
Increase the amount and variety of student meeting and activity space by relocating some functions to a new south campus union.
Greatly improve and add restrooms throughout the building.
Preserve and maintain the historic nature of the building
Make the entrances to Memorial Union more inviting and crowd friendly to enhance traffic flow throughout the building.
Provide access to all floors, which involves ADA compliance and installing additional elevators.
Help preserve recent investments (Main Lounge and Second Floor Entrance)

How?
More than half of the funding for both buildings will be paid over 30 years by student fees. For the first two years, students would pay $48 per semester for the project. After two years the rate will increase to $96 per semester, for students who will begin to see the benefits of the renovation.

Student fees are covering up to 58% of the cost of the renovation; the rest will be provided through private funding and donations as well as operating revenue. No state tax dollars will be used. With students providing the majority of the funding, they also lead the design process through Union Council – where students have a majority.

Students will pay $67 million in seg fees for the new south campus union, with the remaining $20 million coming from Union operating revenue and UW Transportation Services.

Who?
The Design Team is composed of the architects – Workshop Architects of Milwaukee and Moody Nolan of Columbus, Ohio – who have a great deal of experience designing college unions, plus key Union student leaders, staff, UW students, faculty and Union members. There is a student majority on the Design Committee, composed of nine students and six faculty and staff. Soon a construction manager will be added. Also, UW Facilities Planning and Management and the Department of State Facilities are involved.

The Design Team has been gathering input from key committees (Design Advisory Groups or DAGs) and will continue to solicit input via public forums, email and focus groups.

Timeline
Finalize broad scope program model for the new south campus union-May 2008
Site lay out and exterior spaces-Summer 2008
Design interior spaces-Fall 2008
Decommission Union South-December 2008/January 2009
Union South demolition and abatement-February-April 2009
Construction begins on new south campus union-May 2009
Open new south campus union-Spring 2011

For more information or to email ideas, opinions or observations contact David Christopher, (919) 672-6545 or Dan Cornelius, (608) 334-5057, unionbuildingproject@gmail.com or visit www.newunion.wisc.edu.

Wisconsin Union - Experiences for a Lifetime

Wisconsin Union Initiative

Talking Points for the Wisconsin Union Initiative Building Project

Talking Points for the
Wisconsin Union Initiative Building Project