Representatives from Duda Paine, the lead design team for the Talley renovation project, will be on hand on the second floor of the Student Center Friday morning from noon to 2 p.m. to explain their progress to the general public. While students enjoy refreshments, the minds behind Talley’s new makeover will describe the preliminary architectural design and be available to answer questions.
Student Centers President MaryCobb Randall, a junior in business administration, said the event was set up with the purpose of “bringing students up to speed over what’s been going on over the past year.”
“The first hour at least will be devoted to a presentation by Duda Paine,” Randall said. “It’s going to cover where they were when they were selected back in August up to where we are now. They’re going to show their thought processes, what kind of analysis has been done.”
According to Randall, the second hour will include a series of visuals. Models of potential designs will be on display, as well as exhibitions of past Duda Paine designs.
These models will map out the changes that have been made to project plans since they came into the public eye last fall, according to former student Senator Peter Barnes, a junior in political science
“In the fall, there wasn’t a lot of information about everything,” Barnes said. “Now, they have a fair amount of certainty about where stuff is going to go and they can answer questions a little more concretely.”
At 8 a.m. Friday, board members for the Talley Committee will hold a meeting where they will vote on the building program. This includes how much space is allotted for each organization.
“That will be voted on and approved so the designers can actually start designing the spaces,” Barnes said.
As of right now, the majority of funding for the project will come from student fees. According to Barnes, once plans are finalized, fundraising campaigns will begin to “reduce the burden on students.”
“It’s important for students to come out, not only can they have input on the project — to see what they’d like to see changed or emphasized — but also to see what their investment is and where it’s going,” Barnes said.
Randall said the lead designer for the project is an N.C. State alumnus and enjoys talking to the student population.
“The designers are really receptive to what students have to say,” Randall said. “[The students’ suggestions] might pique their interest and influence the design one way or another. The plans are far from over so there’s still room for student input.”
