P3
May 2013
Renderings courtesy of Architects & Planners International
As
a
Grand
Canyon
University
commuter student,
Daniel Harned
often finds his way to Fleming
Library to work on his homework.
“I like it here because it’s quiet and I can concentrate
better,” said Harned, a sophomore from Chandler.
“But in the afternoon, it gets really packed in here.”
The good news for Harned: The library is about to
double in size as it moves from its current building
near the entrance to GCU to the third and fourth
floors of the new Student Union expansion.
The bad news: The new library, with its arena-like
architecture, glass facade and location at the heart
of campus, is sure to attract many more students
with the same idea as Harned.
“We’re very excited about the location,” said
Nita Mailander
, director of library services
at GCU. “Hopefully the library will be seen as a
gathering space for students and faculty.”
The four-story, 58,000-square-foot addition to
the Student Union is the latest in a $300 million
renovation and expansion project at the University.
Two more residence halls and a second swimming
pool also will be completed before the 2013-
14 school year, when enrollment is expected to
increase to 8,500.
“It’s going to be very cool,”
Butch Glispie
, owner
of Pono Construction, said of the Union expansion.
“There will be a lot of glass, a lot of block. There
will be some spectacular views from both inside
and out.”
The four-story expansion will be built on the north
side of the existing dining hall.
The first floor will be an extension of the current
Student Union dining area and is targeted for
completion by Aug. 15. Remaining floors probably
will be completed in subsequent months.
The second floor will include a large Starbucks
coffee shop, seating area and balcony.
Floor plans for the library were still being designed
in early April, but Mailander said the third floor
probably would include more dynamic spaces
featuring computer stations and places for group
study, while the fourth floor would offer spaces for
individual quiet study.
Combined, that will be 24,000 square feet of
library space.
Fleming Library has just 8,000 square feet on the first
floor, plus office space on the second floor. It can seat
about 100 people, including 37 computer stations.
“This building is wonderful and it’s historic,”
Mailander said of Fleming, “but it’s just not enough
space. As the campus grows, we really need the
extra seating.”
During the first quarter of 2012, an average of 5,797
people per month used the library. That jumped
to 8,131 per month in the first quarter of 2013.
With even more new students next year and a
more modern, open space to call home, Mailander
said the number of library users “is going to go
through the roof.”
Marissa Bibian
,
a sophomore from Los Angeles,
will be one of them.
“The new building is just awesome. I’ll use it a lot
more,” Bibian said. “There’s more room and the
windows with all the natural light, it will be much
more inviting. The glass walls will make it seem like
you can see all of GCU.”
■
Ambience, capacity get major
boost with move to Student Union
LIBRARY
with a VIEW
– by Bob Romantic
