New to last week’s meeting was the addition of Michael Fashana, this year’s MU president who will be facilitating/co-chairing the project.

Now that the building is fairly sedate within the historic
district it is time to embrace what’s going on inside with fashionable furniture
that sparks students interests. However, it is important to remain focused on
sustainability, what’s trendy now may be inferior later. Luckily the furniture
industry is one of the most forward thinking, with recyclable, cradle-to-cradle
lifespans (as opposed to cradle-to-grave). Another important aspect of the project
is the protection of the buildings “Northwest” feel. With the warmth of the
building inside paralleled by the sturdy medal outside we are left with a
durable structure.

The four most important aspects of the building are sustainability,
accessibility, diversity and student engagement. As of now accessibility
appears to be the most complicated with a need for absolute decisions to me
made concerning ADA standards. As Eric Alexander stated during a meeting with
Opsis Architects, “The frame that most people operate from when looking at
people with disability is a kind of sliding scale on which the environment
doesn’t need to change the person does. Our universal design is an environment
that anyone can utilize. Most folks get polarized between the two instead of
finding the middle ground, with a slight lean towards the environmental side.”
Neither wing is absolutely perfect so the project needs to be accessible for
people on all ranges.