Space requirements, school tradition and history, views of the mall and additional services are just a few of the ideas that are being considered in the remodeling of the Student Union and bookstore facilities.

The university has hired an architectural firm to look into the needs of a new student union. MHTN Architects, a firm from Salt Lake City, Utah, will compile the information they gather from student, faculty and staff focused planning groups, student surveys, past studies conducted and a facilities planning committee to decide what ideas are the most necessary and the most feasible. A preliminary draft proposal is due to the university during the first week of April.

"This is an interactive process. We want to gather as much information as we can. We want to have a building that works now and that will work 10 years from now," said B. Jeffrey Stebar, an architect at MHTN.

No plans are finalized yet. One of the major decisions still to be made is whether to renovate the current Union facilities, tear them down and build a completely new structure or create something in between.

A major concern is that the Union remain open during construction, so that money still comes in and services are not interrupted at any time, Stebar said. Since the bookstore and Union are self-supporting, it would be impossible to shut them down for any length of time especially since they will ultimately have to support themselves through the renovation process by paying for the improvements with their revenue, said UA architect Carl Gajdorus, with the Facilities Design and Construction Division.

MHTN must present the university with a final report during the first week of May explaining its plans for the structure. At that point, costs will be assessed and a timeline for the construction will be made. Those decisions cannot be made until the plans are finalized because they vary depending on how much the Union is changed, said Jonathan Harvey, a management analyst for the Campus and Facilities Planning Division.

Plans to renovate the Union in one form or another have been in the works for several years. When Student Union Director Dan Adams was hired last March, a qualification for the position was that the director have experience with renovation and remodeling of unions. Although there have been groups assembled by the Union to assess what changes were necessary, this is the first time the university has hired architects. Previous problems with the renovations stemmed from budget concerns.

Some of the ideas that have been brought up at focus groups on campus have been the need for services such as a travel agent, a florist, a dry cleaner, and a 24-hour convenience store with a 7 Eleven style setup.

Many people said they wanted higher quality and variety in the food services available. Students want food to be convenient and to be offered at competitive prices. A lot of individual ideas based on personal experiences were also brought up, and all of them are going to be considered, said Sarah Miller, another MHTN architect.

"The information desk needs to be prominent, with locker spaces available for visitors and a courtesy phone. We also need to have bathrooms on the first floor," said Patricia Porfirio, who runs the information desk in the Union.

A vision statement prepared by the architectural firm stated that some goals for the renovation include designing a building that:

• Looks more welcoming, to attract members of the campus community
• Takes advantage of its central location on the Mall by incorporating the lawn through views and dining areas
• Provides well organized, convenient and easy to use spaces
• Serves as a "campus living room" by incorporating a sense of campus tradition and identity and by providing more than one reason for students, faculty and staff to be there

"I think it's wonderful the way it is," Patricia James, a junior majoring in English, said.

Although the Union has a computer lab, the equipment has become outdated, so students started going elsewhere on campus to use newer machines. The lab is closed until fall for the installation of new computers and updated services. Another problem with the current lab, which is located in the back of Sam's Place on the lower level, is that it wasn't marketed well, Adams said, so many students do not even know it exists.

The plans for the new Union will incorporate a computer lab, including stations in which students can dock, or connect, their portable computers and access school systems such as e-mail accounts, Gajdorus said. He said the university wants to "set the trend" in technology, and that the docks might be located around the Union, not just in one location like the lab.

MHTN is currently working with two other schools on their unions.

"We have experience around the country, and we want the UA to be on the cutting edge of student union design," Stebar said.

The architects were in Tucson this week to meet with campus groups that have specific needs or desires for the Union. An entire day was spent touring the bookstore, meeting with personnel to discuss their needs. A general consensus among students, faculty and bookstore staff was that the bookstore needs to have a larger capacity to better serve the campus.

Results from student surveys about what services they would like to have that are not currently available, and about any services provided that are not necessary, are being used carefully in the planning.

"What we've got now is a huge shopping list. What we have to do is to project what's needed and what will be needed, and to provide adequate room for all services and for growth potential," Stebar said.