College of General Studies sophomore Sarah Brodeur said she said she gets to CGS each day a little earlier than her classes start, but not for academics – the lobby’s renovations have made it a nice place to sit and relax before class.
“Last year, most people just sat there waiting for their friends, and then they would leave, but now they just hang out there a little bit,” she said. “It looks a lot more welcoming because it looks brighter in there. It seems like there’s a lot more sunshine.”
Before the college renovated the space over the summer, there was very little seating and a somewhat less welcoming environment for students, CGS Assistant Dean Stacy Godnick said. Now, she finds every seat filled with students talking and studying.
“We wanted it to be a more welcoming, inviting, relaxing place for students and visitors to be in,” she said. “The lighting is not the atypical fluorescent lighting. It’s very soft lighting, decorative lighting.”
Godnick said the lobby renovation was entirely paid for with donations from alumni, parents and friends of CGS. The lobby cost more than $1 million, and CGS has invested more than $3 million total between the three projects, Godnick said in an email.
CGS now has a flat screen directory, a display screen and a television. In addition, the old furniture has been replaced and a warmer color scheme has been integrated into the room.
“We have certainly bettered it, and we’ve upgraded the floor, and we’ve brought it to the 21st century,” she said.
The lounge renovations are the third in a series of upgrades the college has made to its building. Before the renovations were finished, more comfortable seating, more study tables and better lighting were added to the Jeffrey Katzenberg center and the Brendan F. Gilbane Lounge. The rooms now also include wireless internet.
Architect Michael Soucy, who worked on all three rooms over five years, said in an email that he started the main lobby renovations last spring. The renovations are 98 percent complete “pending the arrival of additional furnishings, signage and a few other technical adjustments,” he said.
“From a design standpoint, one key concept is always at the forefront: create a functional, aesthetically pleasing space while making it as versatile as possible,” Soucy said. “Anyone can see this recurring theme in all three projects.”
CGS sophomore Ashley Dodge said she thinks the renovation was a good idea.
“CGS wasn’t exactly the prettiest building on campus, so it’s nice that it looks a little bit nicer and classier compared to the rest of the building,” Dodge said. “It basically looks like a Starbucks.”
Dodge said that while she has not spent a lot of time hanging out there, she probably will go more often as the year goes on because of the renovations.
