Sprinkled throughout the renovated area are pods of spaceage Ball Chairs. Based on a 1960s classic Eero Aarnio design, the Ball Chairs salute the former student union’s heritage as one of NC State’s experiments in Modernism. Almost totally enclosing users in a quiet cocoon of red and white, where it’s possible to disappear in silent concentration only five feet away from busy clusters of other students, the chairs have been deemed “groovy” by more than one contented user spinning through an afternoon concentrating on an Organic Chemistry text.
A bold use of furnishings, a flood of natural light, open sight lines throughout the cluster of spaces, and easy access to the technologies that NC State’s digitally savvy students crave have made the transformed area an instant favorite. Although no longer technically a student union, the West Wing has returned to its roots, once again a key destination for students looking for vibrant collaboration space and a community of scholars. Replacing the typical tables and chairs (below), the Technology Sandbox (left and bottom) lets students and faculty put their talents to work on the large-scale, multi-touch display and gesture-based computing technologies that are revolutionizing the visualization of data and the creation of digital media. The ball chairs (middle) are a favorite for students seeking a quiet hideaway.
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