The renovation of the CAW Student Centre to accommodate the Campus Bookstore provides a space that will better serve student needs, the Board of Governors heard Tuesday as it approved a total cost of $2,585,000 for the project.

Under designs by the architectural firm Di Maio Associates, patrons will enter the store to find an area for course materials; a merchandising space for Lancer and UWindsor gear, office and school supplies; a technology centre; a general reading area; and a seating space equipped with charging stations for electronics.

“We are really excited at the prospect of this new space,” says the store’s marketing coordinator, Martin Deck. “It is designed to meet our future needs, and is so adaptable so that we can change the configuration as our needs change.”

With a total area of more than 10,000 square feet, the store will accommodate peak purchase periods at the start of fall and winter semesters, and then provide space for other needs—including studying and socializing—the rest of the year.

An additional 3,350 square feet is slated to house a lounge to be run by the University of Windsor Students’ Alliance. The student government has not yet finalized plans for the space.

The University will proceed to tender and expects construction to begin in June, with an opening date in late fall 2013.