The planning of the extension to the Union began in 1963 during the term of office of the 1962-63 Students' Association Executive. Both the 1962-63 and 1963-64 Students' Association have submitted suggestions to the Student Union Management Committee. The Management Committee has set up a sub-committee to prepare a brief for the Architect and to work with the Architect in preparing the plans currently being displayed.

These plans will be placed before the full Management Committee for approval at the next meeting of the Committee. The Committee is hoping that construction will have commenced by January 1, 1966, and that the extensions will be completed by the end of 1966.

Finance

It is hoped that a subsidy will be available from the Government for at least an equal amount. Estimates of the cost of extending the Union suggest that between £90,000 and £100,000 will be needed.

Ground Floor

Dining Room and Kitchens

The existing Sandwich Lunch Room will be moved to the first floor and space made available by this move will be used to improve the kitchen staff rooms and storage areas (already the existing storage areas and staff facilities are too small: Mr. Levenbach employs a full-time staff of 21 in 1964, by 1967 this figure will be 28).

A deep freeze unit will be provided in the kitchen area to enable bulk purchases of meat and vegetables to be made.

First Floor

Sandwich Lunch Bar: The existing main Common Room is planned to become the Sandwich Lunch Room and Coffee Bar. The Planning Committee studied figures of the average daily number of persons purchasing food in the Dining Room in 1962 and 1963 and have estimated that because of the increasing enrolment figures for the next 10 years extra seating would be required in the. Lunch Bar. It is planned to provide seating for 150 in this room.

Second Floor

(1) Dining Room Extensions:

The planning sub-committee were faced with providing more seats in the existing ground floor dining room or providing an additional lining room elsewhere in the building. It is recommended to the Management Committee that a further Dining Room be provided on the new second floor in such a way that part of the room may be, on special occasions, screened off to provide a private dining room for use by the Students' Association and members of the University staff.

The new dining space on the second floor will provide additional seating for approximately 140 persons. The total number of eating places provided in 1967 will be 650, this is equivalent to 12 per cent of the student population seated at any one time. In 1963 only 10 per cent of the students could be seated in the Dining Room at any one time and because of increasing student enrolment even with the planned extensions to the eating facilities this position will be reached again in 1969. Beyond 1969 the Union facilities will be overcrowded at lunch-time and the planning sub-committee have asked the University planners to include a snack bar in the Physics and Earth Science Building due to be built at the end of this decade. The student roll in mid-1970s will be approximately 8000 (predominantly full-time students) and members of the sub-committee suggest at that stage the major portion of the present Union building would become a refectory block. A new Union building incorporating common rooms, committee rooms and other facilities might be built (probably in Wai-te-ata Road next to the Library) if the pressure on the Union increases as suggested by current trends.

It is anticipated that, when the proposed extensions to the Union are completed, the dining room contract will be re-negotiated. It is planned to offer a wider range of services including extended evening opening and weekend opening to provide for students studying in the Library. The dining room extensions will enable the existing dining room to be used for catering for nonuniversity functions as at the present time (so helping to keep the price of student meals as low as possible).

(2) Common Room: A new common room is planned for the second floor. The area set aside is approximately 50 per cent larger than the area of the existing common room. The Committee have recommended that part of this area be carpeted and the furnishings chosen to make this room more attractive than the existing common room. It is possible to subdivide part of this room if future Students' Association executives should so wish, to make room for other facilities.

A small kitchen for the use of clubs meeting in the common room has been included in the plans.

(3) Music Room: To meet the requests of individual students and several clubs a music room is planned. This is large enough to enable a jazz group or a string quartet to practice and can be used as an additional committee room when required.

(4) Activities Room: An Activities Room for the general use of student groups has been included, this area, approximately 400 sq. ft., is large enough to cater for discussion groups of 30 students.

(5) Services: Toilets; and a kitchen linked to the ground floor by a dumb waiter lift have been included to service the Common Room and Dining Room.

Theatre

The sub-committee considered a number of submissions concerning the Theatre, and if sufficient funds are available, have recommended that the foyer be extended and small toilets be provided to make the Theatre a self-contained unit. The foyer is to be designed to enable it to be used as an exhibition room and for a kitchenette to be adjacent to the foyer. This foyer has an area of approximately 1000 sq. ft. and will be designed to take additional floors.