ASUCLA to renovate first floor of Ackerman Union, add more seating
Associated Students UCLA is renovating Ackerman Union’s first floor dining area to change the flooring and add new seating and tables. Work on the floor began on Wednesday and the renovations are expected to be completed in early winter quarter. (Farida Saleh/Daily Bruin)
By Puvali Chatterjee
Nov. 3, 2017 1:10 a.m.
Small sections of Ackerman Union’s first-floor dining room will be closed off while they undergo renovations over the next few months.
Student Union Director Roy Champawat said Associated Students UCLA is remodeling the dining area’s flooring and seating and expects the renovations to be completed by early winter quarter.
He added ASUCLA will also install new seats and tables with power outlets for students to charge their electronic devices, as well as communal tables for students to use as social and study spaces.
The renovation is part of a five-year multimillion-dollar project ASUCLA developed in 2015 to improve Ackerman Union’s appearance and layout.
Champawat said the delay in the construction was caused partly because the association needed to take into account its financial activity, including expenses and income.
The project will first focus on changing the dining room’s floor tiles, Champawat said. He added the floor demolition, which started Wednesday, will take place overnight, to avoid the union’s operating hours.
“It’s hard to renovate this kind of dining room floor when there is no long period when we can just close the whole floor,” he said.
Champawat estimated it will take three weeks to strip and resurface the floor, and added some sections of the floor will then be closed for multiple days while the tiles are being installed.
ASUCLA also plans to close the entire first floor for several days during winter break to complete construction areas students frequently use, like entrances and areas around restaurants.
“The impact on restaurants during the winter break is expected to be modest, since business is normally slow during this time,” Champawat said.
He added the association plans to mitigate disruptions from the renovations by relocating furniture displaced by the construction to other sections of the dining area.
Several students said they think the renovations will make the dining area more appealing for students.
Mariela Magana, a UCLA alumna who visits the union’s first floor frequently, said she thinks the renovations will make it easier for students to study in the dining area.
“It is a good idea to have power outlets installed in the tables, since students often have to find seats near walls just to reach the outlets,” she said.
Jakob Garberg, a second-year English student, said he thinks there should be more tables and seating in the room.
“Replacing the floor is unnecessary, since it looks perfectly fine right now,” he added.
Samiha Rahman, a second-year computer science student, said she thinks the renovations should improve the dining area’s appearance.
“The exposed pipes and vents on the ceiling clash with the modern light fixtures and renovating those can improve the aesthetic of the room,” she said.
