New Hedrick study space set to open in winter 2017

This post was updated on Aug. 25 at 4:30 p.m.

A 24-hour study space and cafe is scheduled to open in Hedrick Hall winter 2017, with an increased budget of $9.1 million.

The opening of the Study at Hedrick, originally scheduled for fall 2016 with an $8.2 million budget, was pushed to winter 2017 due to unforeseeable construction and furniture delays. Officials increased the budget to upgrade the heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, said UCLA spokesperson Rebecca Kendall in an email statement.

The Study at Hedrick’s cafe will be open Monday to Friday from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. and from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, said UCLA Dining Services Associate Director Charles Wilcots. It will be the only 24-hour study space on the Hill.

Wilcots said the Northern European-themed menu will use locally sourced ingredients and feature seasonal dishes.

The breakfast menu will include freshly baked breads, pastries, cereals and fruits, Wilcots said. The lunch, dinner and late-night menu will include savory tarts, rustic soups and a cheese melting station for sandwiches and an all-day dining menu will offer quiches, crepes, waffles and bread puddings. The cafe will also offer vegetarian and vegan options, but not gluten-free menu items.

Beverages will include tea, fair trade coffee and cold-pressed juices, he said.

“The food (aspect) is to complement the study space,” Wilcots said. “We’re looking at foods that lend themselves to studying, so you’re not using knives and forks to cut things.”

UCLA Dining Services partnered with Residential Life to develop the menu, Wilcots said. Officials also formed student focus groups to get feedback about the menu items. Students will be able to use swipes to purchase combinations of items from the menu, Wilcots said.

He added Dining Services will hire new cooks who specialize in cooking European food.

Peter Angelis, assistant vice chancellor of Housing and Hospitality Services, said he thinks the interior design, including the walk around fireplace, will create a casual study atmosphere.

“The Study at Hedrick is a reinvention of a coffee house,” Angelis said. “It’s Starbucks on steroids.”

The study space will have living-room-style furnishing, traditional library seating and group study rooms with monitors and dry erase boards. The space will not offer computer services but will have a printer, he added

“It’s not a very IT space,” Angelis said. “The area of technology we want to leverage most is strong Wi-Fi.”

Angelis added the space is designed to minimize any noise from the food area reaching the study area. He said while ambient noise is not entirely avoidable, he thinks it will not prevent students from concentrating.

Wilcots said the cafe was designed using student input from the focus groups to ensure students will have quiet study spaces.

Several students said they think the cafe will give students more options for places to study.

Chloe Whicker, a rising second-year environmental science student, said even though the Study at Hedrick might not be as quiet as a library, she finds it easier to concentrate in spaces with ambient noise like Bruin Café.

Lily Jara, a rising third-year neuroscience student, said the cafe will be especially beneficial for students during finals week, since she thinks some students forget to eat while studying.

Varun Beldona, a rising first-year mechanical engineering student, said he thinks the Study at Hedrick won’t be a good go-to study spot because of its distance from the rest of the Hill. However, it could be a good spot for planned study groups, he said.

Housing and dining services will make adjustments to menus and other services based on student traffic and the popularity of items, Wilcots said. The hours of other restaurant locations on the Hill may also change depending on how many students use the space.