John Abbott Student Spaces: The Fishbowl Renovations
By Sophia Zhang
Editor-in-Chief
Last semester, during the peak of exam season, many students noticed that the fishbowl–the student lounge in front of the Cafeteria and the Campus Bookstore in the Stewart Hall building–was closed. While the sight of construction around campus is not particularly interesting, the announcement of a renovated student space caught many students’ attention. In an interview, SUJAC President Luca Quintana shared the process behind creating the new and improved Fishbowl, a major project led by the school’s Student Union.
Firstly, despite having been actively implemented during the Fall 2024 semester, the idea for the renovation of this student lounge was born during the 2023-2024 academic year with the previous SUJAC executive team, who had brought it up in passing in Congress. Soon after, when the new executives sat down to discuss the needs of the students and realized that an appealing student space was a primary concern, they decided to move forward with the previously proposed idea. As most of the current student spaces (like the Zen Zone, the Agora, and the Cafeteria) are usually crowded, and due to the physical and spatial constraints of the college, renovating the Fishbowl and the fireplace in front of the Cafeteria exit, spaces that weren’t as welcoming, seemed like the perfect solution.
Building on the work of the previous year’s executive team, SUJAC contacted a project manager. The manager received bids and formal offers from various companies, which the SUJAC executive team reviewed. Moreover, after negotiating with the college, they agreed that SUJAC would pay $20,000 for the furniture, with the college’s Facilities Management Services (FMS) agreeing to cover the remaining $34,000.
The student union members also got to pick the colours of the seats and the furniture itself. As they were spending public funds, they had to choose the furniture based on available funds while still considering durability. As for the colours, they decided on lighter colours to counter the natural darkness of the space. However, the lightness of the walls did end up being brighter than expected. To counter the harshness of the bright colours, SUJAC is exploring the possibility of enlisting art students to design a mosaic to fill the space on the walls.
Despite some minor setbacks caused by the unexpected brightness of the walls, the project was a massive success. The Fishbowl and the Fireplace went from being mostly deserted to spaces beaming with life. The moveable chairs that replaced the fixed high chairs have also made the space more accessible for students with limited mobility.
For similar future projects, SUJAC is considering installing benches in the hallways around the school (especially on the second floors of the Penfield and Hochelaga buildings) despite the limited space in the college.