Aztec Center may soon be getting its first major face-lift since it was built 38 years ago.
Although the center has been through several renovations, San Diego State has been struggling to keep it up to modern building standards of similar four-year public institutions its size. SDSU’s administration and student council have been working to accommodate the school’s ever-expanding 33,000-plus student community with new buildings in the hub of SDSU.
SDSU’s Associated Students Council met last Wednesday to review a detailed outline of the Modern Space Student Union Expansion, which proposes much-needed renovations to the face and functionality of SDSU buildings through improvements in facility size, accessibility and technology.
With student input and budget considerations as the parameters for planned renovations, the goal of the Student Union Expansion Advisory Planning Committee is to maximize the resources of the $44 million project to expand, improve and build a medley of key campus facilities.
The projects include the expansion of Montezuma Hall, a new center for student organizations, theater and fitness center, and increased space for A.S. offices and conference rooms.
While the locations of new and expanded facilities have yet to be determined, the planning committee expects to begin phase one of two construction periods by June 2008 – after it receives approval from the CSU board of trustees in late 2007.
“As we secure a site location, it should determine what type of buildings we can build there,” said Student Union Expansion Advisory Planning Committee Chair Amanda Venegas.
As plans for a site location unfold, hard figures denoting the expansion of many campus buildings are under consideration.
Montezuma Hall may be extended to accommodate more than 1,000 student seats for Cultural Arts and Special Events (CASE) sneak-preview movies with a 3,500 square foot expansion. Similarly, the new student organization space would be solidified into a 7,336 square foot area featuring shared social, office, conference and storage space for SDSU’s burgeoning 200 campus organizations.
“We want to create a space that is mostly open with a personal, yet unified feel to it,” said Venegas, highlighting the project’s “green” emphasis on natural light and space.
A supplementary small-scale fitness center may be added to the east side of campus, covering between 6,000 to 8,000 square feet (about the size of two full-sized basketball courts).
Student responses to a September 2006 WebPortal survey also indicated a strong preference for healthier food options on campus and the continued existence of an on-campus pub.
The Student Union Expansion is scheduled for completion by March 2011 through a “phased-out” construction approach, which would stratify the building projects to minimize its impact on the regular functionality of campus facilities.
“We will have a working student union as we transition,” Venegas said.
