Unless you avoid Bobst Library like the plague, you probably saw that its first floor underwent renovation this past summer. NYU unveiled its changes to the university community this past October, and with about 10,000 visitors a day, many students have mixed opinions about the new lobby. Trust us, you aren’t the only one.
Of the 363 students surveyed at Bobst, NYU residence halls and other NYU buildings, 292 said they are happy with the renovations, which were a collaboration with award-winning architect Billie Tsien. The changes include a dark blue carpet, low sensory study spaces, new furniture, banquette seating along the west and south walls, prayer rooms and an updated color palette.
Some of the biggest changes are the numerous red and green velvet couches throughout the lobby. CAS senior Lava Brace believes that the new seating offers more study spaces and encourages people to gather together more frequently.
“I do like the new lobby,” Brace said. “It gives a lot more spatial availability, and it’s a lot more comfortable than it was before. I feel like the lobby previously was just kind of stale. This feels a lot more community-based, and a lot more people I’ve noticed like hanging out in it for extended periods of time.”
Though CAS sophomore Shrey Khater appreciates the new renovations in the Bobst lobby, he believes that NYU could have used the funds to renovate other floors instead.
“I feel like the upper floors could have used more than this floor,” Khater said. “It’s the higher floors that people don’t like even more. It’s just really musty sometimes.”
There were further concerns with the first-floor renovations concerning the work space and carpet design.
“I think there needs to be more tables closer to the couches,” Steinhardt senior Emily Deutchman said. “It kind of deters me from sitting on the couches if I don’t have anywhere to place my laptop.”
CAS senior Cèlia Pardillo-Lopez found the aesthetic of the old lobby much more appealing.
“I feel like they really dropped the ball when they added the carpet,” Pardillo-Lopez said. “It darkens the space. It just feels sadder and they’ve covered up a really beautiful and valuable work of art.”
Pardillo-Lopez also mentioned that the old marble floor was what made the library distinctive.
“Bobst was quite iconic,” Pardillo-Lopez said. “The flooring itself was something that people would talk about. There was something special about it and they completely took that away.”
Despite the major renovations already done, Bobst will undergo more renovations in the next few months. This includes a new cafe, an idea which 326 students liked. Though having a coffee shop or eatery in the library will be very convenient, some students believe that it will make it even harder to focus.
“I feel like adding a cafe is nice on paper, but sitting in that room and studying is going to be impossible if people are filing in and out and ordering,” Pardillo-Lopez said. “It’s going to make the ground floor impractically impossible to study in.”
Contact Liz Lindain and Christian Romero at [email protected].
