Out With the Old, In With the... Blue?

Nestled between the Combes and Quai buildings, the Atrium was once one of AUP’s most dependable, well-used spaces. With the campus scattered across the 7th arrondissement, Combes and Quai were at the heart of student life. Heavily frequented by students, this building was a place to study, collaborate, and grab lunch, and is home to the majority of club and social events. 

For years, the Atrium doubled as both a library and a social space. Books lined the shelves, long wooden tables invited collaboration, and quiet corners offered a refuge on busy days. Its glass roof connects students to the outdoors with a view of a vertical garden outside and natural lighting on a summer day or authentic white noise from the rain in the fall. With its prime location, glimpse of nature, constant traffic, and multipurpose space it felt unique compared to other rooms on campus. It wasn’t flashy, but it was functional and felt lived-in. 

But in Fall 2025, students barely recognized the place.

If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It 

In the spring of 2025, AUP announced renovations were coming to the Atrium and Amex Café. The goal was to create a more welcoming, comfortable place for students to gather and foster community. Departments would shuffle to new areas, the space would modernize, and the Atrium would be reimagined as a dedicated student hub. 

Stated in the AUP article, David Horn, Director of Campus Planning and Facilities, outlined the vision: to "offer spaces that cater to students' social needs," provide areas "they can just go to hang out that are not necessarily designed for specific purpose," "and ultimately "hand more space over to the students, for them to really spend time in."

While it sounded promising on paper and possessed potential, as students arrived in the fall, they wondered whether their feedback ever made it into the blueprint. 

As soon as students returned to campus, the reviews poured in, and they were not positive. The renovations were described as sterile, hospital-like, a fishbowl, and even a playground. 

What was meant to be a warm, bustling heart of campus instead felt cold and exposed. The sleek interior design that was planned completely missed the mark and did not translate the personality of AUP or the student body. 

The student body is a melting pot of more than 100 nationalities and over 60 languages, mixing countless cultures, personalities, and perspectives. A space meant to represent this vibrant blend feels oddly generic and impersonal instead. 

While the intention was to creating a cozy student space, students are left with a sterile waiting room to pass the time between classes.

Inside the Fishbowl 

Removing the bookshelves opened the room up, but rather than spacious, it now feels empty. 

The main workspace is a long, high table pressed against a wall of windows. Students sit shoulder-to-shoulder, on display to the hallway, inhibiting group work, which was natural in the old layout that featured a long work tables with seating on all sides. Smaller coffee tables with a scattering of quaint chairs now line the side walls. 

And then there are the blue chairs… Each is a different shape, giving the space an odd mix of a therapist’s office meets a children’s jungle gym. Around 15 awkward chairs are dispersed in the void. Students are often seen sleeping or on their phones rather than studying or socializing.

"Keep the new chairs on one side so people who want to relax can, but keep the working tables here as well," Oyin Olatunde, a sophomore at AUP, said.  "The high chairs might not be comfortable or convenient for everyone."

One clear improvement is the technology. A large television now anchors the room, perfect for events and presentations. However, students can only reserve it on Wednesdays and Fridays from 6:00 PM to 9:30 PM, not ideal for campus life with events happening continuously. Despite all the rearranging, no new outlets were added around the room, leaving many seating options impossible to use for actual studying. 

Lastly, an electric fireplace sits beneath the TV. While in theory it adds warmth, it clashes with the sterile and ultra-modernized look and feels out of place. But then again, no one would know since it is never actually on during the school day. 

Searching for a Purpose 

The Atrium was meant to be a destination that students naturally gravitated toward, but instead it is a point of debate on campus. Students expected an upgrade that would enhance campus life, not erase the aspects of the Atrium that already worked. 

The mark was completely missed, and as a result, valuable space is being wasted for students.