The A.B. Freeman School of Business is known for having crowded study spaces and limited classroom availability, but Business School Dean Ira Solomon announced plans to address these concerns by expanding and renovating the current space of Goldring/Woldenberg Halls I and II in a Jan. 19 email.

“This new addition will not only accommodate our growth, but also offer Freeman students an environment where they can maximize their educational experiences in a setting that will support and promote their scholastic and social development,” Solomon said.

The plans are currently in the early development pre-design phase where crude block diagrams are being generated to create possible plans for the new layout. 

Sydney Berger, vice president of the A.B. Freeman Undergraduate Student Government, said she thought these renovations are needed and will create new opportunities for students.

“I am very excited the students will finally have enough study space and the breakout rooms,” Berger said. “I know they have been asking for this during [the Freeman Student Government’s] town halls all semester and it will be a great addition to the business school.

The hope is to increase functional needs by creating up to 340 new classroom seats and increasing pedestrian flow, along with creating bike paths. As of now, only the first floor plans have been introduced.

The architects plan to build both GWI and GWII out to the McAlister Drive tree line.

Freshman Selina Wabl said she is looking forward to the change and the increased productivity it will create.

“I think adding additional space and breakout rooms is great,” Wabl said. “[Study space] fosters intercollegiate creativity and encourages students to feed off of one another.”

The design phase is set to start by the end of this summer and the plans will be released to the public along with cost estimates. 

The construction is currently scheduled to begin in late April or early March of 2016 and be completed by the beginning of the 2017 fall semester.