Hill dining facility to be renovated over summer

Renovations to the ground floor of Hill College House will be completed this summer and will enhance the dining facility's structural layout and culinary options, officials said yesterday. The renovations to Hill will mark the first completed phase of the 10-year, $300 million dorm and dining overhaul project. Structural renovations to the Quadrangle will also begin this summer. The $1 million Hill renovation plan -- developed by the local architecture firm Kieran, Timberlake and Harris -- will turn Hill dining into "an extension of students' living rooms" by adding more comfortable seating and improving table arrangements to create an atmosphere more conducive to "conversation and community living," according to James Timberlake, a Penn alumnus and one of three architects working on the project. The facility's 375-seat occupancy will remain unchanged, but seating will be reorganized with tables for two, four, six or eight people. The two walls that run from the entryway to the kitchen will be lined with "apolstered banquettes" --Elong benches that will seat a total of 40 students, Timberlake said. "We believe a lot of social activity is based around students spending their meal times together," College House spokesperson Sue Smith said. "We have recognized from top to bottom that students want to spend quality time where they live." But the renovations are not just structural -- changes will also be made to the food that is offered and the manner in which it is served. There will be more "exhibition dining stations" where students can choose the ingredients for their individually prepared meals, according to Managing Director of Campus Dining Peg Lacey. She added that dining options will vary from meal to meal with simpler options offered at lunch. "Monday through Thursday, students really don't have time to linger and we're very respectful of their time," Lacey said. The renovations will add three new stations to Hill's dining options -- a noodle bar, gas charbroiler for grilled items and a gourmet pizza station that will be similar to those found in the Class of 1920 Commons but with more variety, according to Wayne Timm, Hill's manager for residential dining services. The layout of the new facility will distribute customer traffic more evenly as students will be encouraged to walk through the middle of the room rather than form two long lines on either side, according to Residential Dining Services Director Bill Canney. The renovations will also include a dramatic change in the facility's lighting structures. The new lighting will consist of two "luminous walls" -- translucent sheets of glass that will be backlit with four presets to accommodate varying amounts of sunlight depending on the weather and time of day. And "discreet, decorative" screening will separate the main dining room from the private dining room currently used for meetings and house activities that involve food. Although the goal is to create a more positive dining experience for undergraduates, not all students share the administration's enthusiasm for the project. "I think the money could be spent elsewhere," College freshman Tanique Richards said. "I don't think [the renovations] are going to be appreciated because students will eat here anyway." College freshman Tom Housley said he doesn't think the dining area is an important center for social activity within the house. "I just run down really quickly and grab my food -- I'm in and out," he said. "I never really thought it was a big thing for socializing."

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