BU Development Thread

bigpicture7 said:
Does anyone know why there has been scaffolding around the base of the new Kilichand Center for Integrated Life Sciences and Engineering on Comm Ave?

The scaffolding has been there for several weeks+. The building is new - is there something up with it? Or is there an unmitigated falling ice hazard or related?
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Kilachand has become a low rise version of the Hancock tower in its early days.
 
stevebikes said:
Has 910 been renovated? As of the latest image on Streeview it's a rather dingy building that doesn't look set up for retail at all.
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It supposedly has been renovated but perhaps only the interior. It opens this coming Monday.

I guess it is a sign of the diminished nature of all bookstores in general. McGill did the same thing a year ago. Their bookstore was a 4 level building on campus built specifically as a bookstore. They moved off campus into an office building across the street. Their old building was converted to a second building for their business school.
 
Equilibria said:
It also allows for higher ceilings in retrofit retail spaces, and prevents the use of things like drop ceilings that can discolor over time...
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So instead of a discolored dropped ceiling, which would not be too expensive to replace, we get to see ugly pipes, vents and wires.
 
TomOfBoston said:
A couple pics from flickr of the "new" bookstore:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/145640828@N07/46510609654/in/dateposted/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/145640828@N07/46510610624/in/photostream/
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Really don't understand why the first-floor facade wasn't replaced to enable floor-to-ceiling windows.

The looks like it was done on the cheap, as if to throw in the towel on the era of having 'destination' university bookstores. This exudes: well, we need to check the box of having this store, so lets install the minimum viable config. A shame, since BU did have a destination-type bookstore.
 
bigpicture7 said:
Really don't understand why the first-floor facade wasn't replaced to enable floor-to-ceiling windows.

The looks like it was done on the cheap, as if to throw in the towel on the era of having 'destination' university bookstores. This exudes: well, we need to check the box of having this store, so lets install the minimum viable config. A shame, since BU did have a destination-type bookstore.
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As I mentioned above McGill University in Montreal did the same thing with its bookstore. Although their new store looks better than the new BU bookstore. It is the end of an era for the destination bookstore.

They went from this:
https://reporter.mcgill.ca/desautels-expanding-into-bookstore-space/
To this:
https://bob.ca/index.php/en/achievements/le-james-bookstore-branding
 
TomOfBoston said:
As I mentioned above McGill University in Montreal did the same thing with its bookstore. Although their new store looks better than the new BU bookstore. It is the end of an era for the destination bookstore.

They went from this:
https://reporter.mcgill.ca/desautels-expanding-into-bookstore-space/
To this:
https://bob.ca/index.php/en/achievements/le-james-bookstore-branding
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My understanding is that most textbooks are now distributed as eBooks (most, but not all).

eBooks don't really support a destination book store.
 
JeffDowntown said:
My understanding is that most textbooks are now distributed as eBooks (most, but not all).

eBooks don't really support a destination book store.
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I would say many, not most.

I wonder how many other university bookstores have gone down this path.
 
TomOfBoston said:
As I mentioned above McGill University in Montreal did the same thing with its bookstore. Although their new store looks better than the new BU bookstore. It is the end of an era for the destination bookstore.

They went from this:
https://reporter.mcgill.ca/desautels-expanding-into-bookstore-space/
To this:
https://bob.ca/index.php/en/achievements/le-james-bookstore-branding
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Rutgers did the opposite.

From this
https://goo.gl/maps/BH3Zw7Qjxqu
(Make sure its 2011)

To this
https://goo.gl/maps/CUMjLixbBDL2
 
...but, the university bookstore serves more than just the pragmatic sale of textbooks (which, sure, have shifted online)...rather its also a hub of school spirit; it showcases the work of local authors (e.g., display/promo purposes...not just sales); it's a campus tourism hub.

In other words, the university's investment (or lack thereof) in a bookstore speaks to more than just whether one is rationally needed for textbook sales purposes.
 
bigpicture7 said:
...but, the university bookstore serves more than just the pragmatic sale of textbooks (which, sure, have shifted online)...rather its also a hub of school spirit; it showcases the work of local authors (e.g., display/promo purposes...not just sales); it's a campus tourism hub.

In other words, the university's investment (or lack thereof) in a bookstore speaks to more than just whether one is rationally needed for textbook sales purposes.
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Yes and don't forget the campus bookstore is also the place where the university/college says bend over as you drop $$$$ on the textbooks.
 
bigpicture7 said:
...but, the university bookstore serves more than just the pragmatic sale of textbooks (which, sure, have shifted online)...rather its also a hub of school spirit; it showcases the work of local authors (e.g., display/promo purposes...not just sales); it's a campus tourism hub.

In other words, the university's investment (or lack thereof) in a bookstore speaks to more than just whether one is rationally needed for textbook sales purposes.
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Correct. In the Rutgers example, the basement is where the textbooks go.

1st floor is the "school spirit" hub, with all the hoodies and what not, as well as featured books, a cafe, and study areas.

2nd floor is the standard B&N stuff, + a tech sales area aimed at students


I think this is a really short-sighted decision by BU. Reminds me of how they closed most of the computer labs in 2010 or 2011 because laptops were the future. Never mind that a college student laptop cannot run sophisticated rendering or mapping software and whatnot.
 
bigpicture7 said:
...but, the university bookstore serves more than just the pragmatic sale of textbooks (which, sure, have shifted online)...rather its also a hub of school spirit; it showcases the work of local authors (e.g., display/promo purposes...not just sales); it's a campus tourism hub.

In other words, the university's investment (or lack thereof) in a bookstore speaks to more than just whether one is rationally needed for textbook sales purposes.
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I wonder is 910 Comm Ave is a temporary location. A perfect location for a new bookstore would be the lower floors of the planned CS/Math building.
 
TomOfBoston said:
This is the interior of the new West Campus bookstore:
http://www.bu.edu/today/closeup/bookstore-reopens/

When did it become trendy to expose all the pipes and utilities?
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It also is part of the SOHO loft/reused factory space aesthetic that is big with tech firms and designers and has been for a while.

Honestly, I'd prefer to see a nice duct to a crappy dropped ceiling. And the higher ceiling height is also a plus.
 
bigpicture7 said:
...but, the university bookstore serves more than just the pragmatic sale of textbooks (which, sure, have shifted online)...rather its also a hub of school spirit; it showcases the work of local authors (e.g., display/promo purposes...not just sales); it's a campus tourism hub.

In other words, the university's investment (or lack thereof) in a bookstore speaks to more than just whether one is rationally needed for textbook sales purposes.
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If anything, it speaks to the way in which the university views how modern-day students interact and what attracts potential students to a university. BU is spending $32 million on the build out of the Howard Thurman Center for Common Ground at 910 Comm Ave, which they anticipate will be a new hub of activity on campus. It is a much more impressive retrofit of space than the new bookstore.

They also recently built out the Build Lab at 730 Comm Ave to promote innovation and entrepreneurship.

BU recently updated and expanded the BU Pub.

The data sciences building first floor is designed as an extension of the public realm.

On a personal note, I'll miss the Kenmore location of the bookstore. I don't see the downgrade though as some referendum on the university, rather a sign of the times.
 
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