It’s Time to Think About Where We Will be Sitting Down Two Years From Now

By Ken Snyder

It’s not time to move into Huntsman Hall yet but it is time to seriously consider what type of furniture will be part of our new building. The building doesn’t come with its own set of tables and chairs. 

Have you ever thought about the process for selecting the furniture for a new building? We will need chairs and tables for the café area, the student lounge areas, the outdoor terrace and courtyard areas, and, of course, a host of classrooms and study rooms.

We are now in the process of selecting furniture and here are the four criteria we are using to make our decision.

1.  Will it be functional? The furniture needs to fit the use. A chair that might work great in a study area will not work in the courtyard. 
2.  Will it meet the needs of our students? For example, a classroom chair should be comfortable and help students stay alert.
3. Will it last without showing lots of wear and tear? We need furniture that will work for years to come, not just the first few days after we open Huntsman Hall.
4. Where are we going to get the best value? Which products meet the need for the lowest cost? 

This step is going to take some work. If you’ve ever gone shopping for a new sofa, table or chairs, you can only imagine what it would be like to try to fill a 117,000-square-foot building. And that’s why it’s time to start thinking about what will be in Huntsman Hall, even though we’re just building the foundation now.