Students returning for fall semester were met with major changes to dining areas in the Student Union Building. The areas surrounding the restaurants have been almost completely renovated, with changes to paint, materials, walkways and seating arrangements.
The retail dining room and Bronco Lounge are located directly across from the Student Union “food court.” They were created for students to eat and study directly after obtaining their Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, Subway, sushi or smoothies.
Brent Delong, director of the Student Union said many of the design decisions were made with functionality in mind. Many seating areas previously designed to accommodate four people are now smaller banquettes that seat two students.
The amount of available seating remained largely the same, though the design team did place a few larger tables to encourage students to form study groups and build community.
“Things were just wearing out from the high utilization of that space, ” Delong said, “Given the visibility of that space [Bronco Lounge], having it be on brand and student centered is important to the overall viability of the student union.”
Rochelle Criswell, assistant director of the Student Union, emphasizes the design is also focused on windows and lighting. In the retail dining room, the windows are larger with blue accents to draw attention to the outside world. The design team also incorporated wood elements to bring that connection to nature.
“Nature is restorative. It has very restorative properties, so the ability to bring the outside in, without actually doing that, is beneficial,” Delong said.
Sophomore Anya Nayebi, who works at the Student Union information desk, said the biggest question she’s been receiving from students is about the lack of TVs now in the dining areas.
“I kind of wish there was more orange and blue, because it is Boise State,” sophomore Jackson Sands said, “But it is still a better, more chill vibe.”
Accents of orange and blue will continue to be added into the space over the next few weeks according to Chriswell.
“The far wall on the end of the retail dining space is in the process of design, so that will bring in some of that ‘Boise State’ [coloring],” said Chriswell.
Another common student complaint is a lack of outlets in certain areas of the retail dining room. This too will be remedied shortly, as lines of power and more outlets will be added into all areas of that space, allowing students to study for longer periods of time.
“I’m missing the outlets in these booth areas, and I do miss the TVs as well, like having Stephen A. Smith up there was a highlight when I was a student,” says Boise State graduate Andrew O’Brien.
Though some students have questions and complaints about the space, the overall consensus was that the space is lighter, safer and more functional.
“It’s more open, more room to study. It looks clean, it looks new, so it’s a good spot to hang out and get food,” Boise State junior Zach Jackson said.
Construction will continue over the next few weeks, with more outlets, lights, and paint being added as finishing touches to the spaces.
“We haven’t received all our furniture yet, so the students will continue to see change in that space,” says Criswell.
The renovation is cyclical, and these spaces will be changed again in approximately another 10 years.
