Webster University students and faculty were invited to pick their seats during the Interdisciplinary Sciences Building (ISB) Furniture Fair.
The event in which students and staff chose furniture for the ISB took place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Jan. 24 in the Luhr Building on the Webster Campus; it will continue in the same time frame Jan. 25.
Webster partnered with Spellman Brady and Co. to create the interior design of the new ISB as well as the furniture layout.
“The new building is very contemporary, it’s more modern than a lot of the buildings on campus, so we are looking at furniture that mirrors that style,” Amanda Renshaw, a designer with Spellman Brady and Co., said.
The company showcased samples of lounge chairs, classroom desks and lab stools among a number of other accessories for college classes and activities.
Some of the furniture brands on display included Kimball, National and KI, among others.
“In each category, you have manufacturers that make tables, manufacturers that make chairs, manufacturers that make private office furniture. So by the time you consider every category, we probably have around 20 different brands,” Renshaw said.
Event organizers declined to comment on the budget for ISB furniture, but said they would stay on the low-end of the determined budget while still investing in quality and durable furniture.
“It’s all commercial-grade furniture,” Leona Graham, coordinator in facilities, planning and management said. “There’s nothing that’s residential grade, which would be things designed for less frequent use or lighter use. Everything is considered contract furnishing and is designed for high-traffic areas.”Guided tours and explanations for each section of furniture were offered to anyone who visited as well as an opportunity to enter a drawing to win prizes. Students and faculty alike responded well to the comfortable seating options.
“In the lounge chairs, the grey one that seems kind of homey, very closed, I really like the feeling of that. I’m a man of small details and I very much liked the angle on both of the walls,” Gavin McGrath, junior psychology major, said.
The design of the new building shows four floors made up mostly of labs and offices. The ground plan lists 68 offices, 20 labs, two general purpose classrooms, one lecture hall and five conference and meeting rooms.
The building will host a number of science and other classes including biological sciences, nursing, nurse anesthesia, anthropology, sociology, psychology, international languages and cultures and English as a second language.
Construction for the building will end in late June with academic use beginning during the fall 2017 semester.
Share this post
