The University will close the Angell Hall Computing Site — commonly known as the Fishbowl — on May 1st to begin summer renovations. The project will be the first major renovation to the site since it opened in 1989.

The project, which was approved by the University's Board of Regents in December 2012, is estimated to cost around $4.4 million and should be completed in time for the fall semester. The renovation is intended to reorganize the computing site to better accommodate group work and a higher volume of students.

Laura Patterson, associate vice president and chief information officer of the University’s Information and Technology Services, said the changes will provide more opportunities for students to work together.

“Team-based learning is clearly the trajectory,” Patterson said. “It’s the way students want to interact and it’s the way people do work and learn, and so providing space that encourages team-based learning and interaction is a high priority.”

The renovation plans will reduce the number of single-user computers to create larger group-work stations with more table space. The furniture, carpet, skylights and air handling system will all be replaced or redone.

The plan also includes opening a second entrance to the computing site with improved wheelchair accessibility. The four classrooms within the Fishbowl will also be renovated.

Stephen Sarrica, manager of Campus Computing Sites, said he is thrilled about the changes and felt strongly that the site needed to be renovated. He said in previous years, student surveys gave negative feedback about the Fishbowl, commenting on the numerous broken chairs and its general “dog-eared” nature.

“I wouldn’t say there was a huge demand for it, but there was very consistent demand over the years for the site to be upgraded and fixed up,” Sarrica said, “It’s a very high-traffic facility and it shows.”

Though the Fishbowl will be closed during the summer, Sarrica said computers will be available to students at sites such as the Michigan Union, the Michigan League, the Shapiro Undergraduate Library, the Science Learning Center and others.

An additional site will be established temporarily in Palmer Commons to accommodate class registration for incoming freshmen, Patterson said.

Engineering sophomore Matt Farhadi said the new plans for the Fishbowl are a good idea, and adding more workspace will be helpful for students. Farhadi said he uses the site daily.

“A lot of times there isn’t enough space,” Farhadi said. “So having a lot more space I think would be a lot more helpful because we could all put our stuff down and we don’t have to worry about getting in somebody else’s way.”

LSA sophomore Katie Holmes said she is also a frequent user of the site and is staying at the University over the summer during the renovations. She said, however, the construction shouldn’t inconvenience her very much.

“I have my own laptop and I can find other places to study.”