CAB basement open after renovations

A fresh addition to campus, the Central Academic Building basement has opened after a summer of renovation. 

In May, the basement of Central Academic Building (CAB) closed completely to undergo construction. Though a few finishing touches are still needed, the space opened at the beginning of September, debuting a social staircase similar to the Students’ Union Building alongside common seating areas. 

Lindsay Munn-Price, manager of capital projects for facilities and operations, said one of the main goals of the renovation was capitalizing the natural flow of traffic to draw students into the space.

“The traffic flow comes from the north to the south in the morning and the new social stair really captures that and allows people to flow downstairs,” Munn-Price said.

This renovation was funded as a joint project between the between facilities and operations and ancillary services. Though the cost of the project cannot be disclosed, Munn-Price said the project stayed within budget.

For Blake MacMillan, renovation project manager, the modern design of the basement was heavily influenced by the concept of an airport lounge: a transient break from the hustle and bustle of campus life. 

“There were a number of design influences that were drawn from but the one [we] kept going back to was the airport lounge,” MacMillan said. “A space where people can gather quickly, connect, recharge their devices, recharge themselves.”

“I think it was a bit of trying to transform that space into the living room or connection space,” Munn-Price added. “Creating a space that not only provides the opportunity for students to get something to eat, but they have the opportunity to work, to meet friends.”

Earlier this week, Zoca and Bento Sushi opened. The currently boarded-up corner of the basement will house the highly anticipated second Remedy location on campus and this full-service location will open sometime in the coming months. Other vendors in the space will be opening as soon as possible. 

“The renewal of lower CAB has not only completely transformed the space for students, faculty, and staff, but it has also given Dining Services the chance to bring a well-loved local operation to the University of Alberta,” Dolores March, director of hospitality said.

 “We are already seeing people enjoy the newly renovated space, and I’m excited to see how Remedy adds to the environment”

As of now, there are no current plans to renovate other areas of CAB, but Munn-Price said the positive feedback on the renovation is not only nice to hear, but also motivation to see what other areas could use some attention.

“Overall, the feedback has been really positive since we opened the space, so we would really like to build on that momentum and carry forward,” she said. 

“We walk through and hear students all the time say ‘oh this is a great space’. To hear that feedback is awesome, especially when its unsolicited feedback and you’re just walking through the space — it’s been really great to be a part of that.”