The Union, which will undergo extensiverenovations beginning next June, is designed tofacilitate the transition from dining hall intohumanities center.

Philip J. Parsons, director of planning andsenior development officer in the Faculty of Artsand Sciences, says the remodeling effort willwitness the "total transformation" of thebuilding.

Builders will construct new floor levels on topof the space that presently serves as the dininghall. There are also plans to add more naturallight to the building. The volumes of space willbe divided into offices.

Parsons also says there will be a number of"public spaces," including, perhaps, a cafeteria.

There will also be several classrooms,primarily for seminars and tutorials, Parsonssays.

The total price tag for the effort will be inexcess of $20 million, Wolff says.

But the new humanities center is badly needed,the administration claims.

Many humanities departments are fragmented,isolated or cramped, Wolff says.

Ranging from Folklore and Mythology on DunsterStreet to Women's Studies on Kirkland Street, the"humanities landscape is a hodge-podge," Wolffsays.

But by bringing a number of the departmentstogether, Wolff says, the administration is hopingto reduce division.

The English Department, for example, is splitinto several fragments geographically, withsegments in Warren House, on Kirkland Street, onPrescott St. and on Somerville Road, but will bereunited under the plan.

The Humanities Quad will also enable theUniversity to dramatically reduce its reliance oncommercial rental property for departments such asAfro-American Studies, Wolff says.

He adds that the Humanities Quad is intended toencourage an interdepartmental exchange of ideasthrough physical juxtaposition, the so-calledprinciple of intellectual proximity.

A packet developed by the Humanities QuadPlanning Committee elaborates on the officialadministrative position on intellectual proximity.

"The Humanities Quad is intended to foster asense of community in a stimulating and attractiveenvironment, and encourage intellectual and socialexchange," the packet reads.