The University of Hawaii at Manoa will begin work as early as January that it says will transform the “heart” of the campus by making its already popular, tree-lined McCarthy Mall even more accessible while creating a five-story building designed to help students from different disciplines mingle and mix.

Additional, outdoor mall seating — including tables and individual Adirondack-style chairs — will come with electricity.

Along with stronger Wi-Fi, the new building and mall will especially give local UH commuter students reasons to remain at McCarthy Mall instead of leaving campus in between classes, said Brian Strawn, UH’s director of planning and spatial experience.

“It will definitely give commuters a reason to stay,” Strawn said.

Surveys conducted of existing UH students and during a dozen visits by potential ones and their families consistently showed that “McCarthy Mall was the favorite spot,” he said.

“It’s the green space,” Strawn said. “It’s the alley of monkeypod trees and grass. At lunch time it’s packed, and students are looking for places to sit in the shade.”

The 366-yard-long mall — the length of three football fields including end zones — runs from Varney Circle to East-West Center Road on the mauka end of the campus.

Manoa’s popular Campus Center, closer to the makai side of campus, offers food, Starbucks and outdoor seating.

But it’s not the same experience as studying or eating under a tree or on the lawn at McCarthy Mall, Strawn said.

So plans are underway to widen the mall. Currently, the widest areas are 30 feet, but they would expand to as much as 50 feet, Strawn said.

Better drainage also will make it less likely to get wet while sitting on the lawn, he said.

The still-unnamed building will go up on the site of the dilapidated, 59-year-old Snyder Hall, which was razed in July 2021.

The site is near where a flash flood of mud and water tore across UH 20 years ago and damaged 30 buildings.

The new building will include a covered portal designed to divert any future flooding from the building while also making it easier for people to enter and exit the mall “from all directions,” Strawn said.

The portal area also will offer coffee, vending machines and grab-and-go food, he said.

The project has been budgeted to cost $88 million for the building and $16.64 million for upgrades to McCarthy Mall and Paradise Palms, which offers a variety of restaurants and indoor dining but not enough seats to keep up with demand at mealtime.

In a statement, Jan Gouveia, UH’s vice president for administration, said, “We are incredibly grateful to the Hawai‘i State Legislature for their unwavering support of this groundbreaking project. Their commitment to higher education is making it possible to create modern, collaborative spaces that will enhance the learning experience for our students and faculty alike. This project will help shape the future of UH Manoa and cultivate a vibrant, innovative campus for generations to come.”

Each floor of the new building will serve a different purpose, but with the overall intent of bringing together a broader mix of students whose areas of study might require more — or less — classroom space in the future as demand increases or falls.

In general, Strawn said, “students want more cross-pollination.”

Two floors will offer classrooms for a mix of disciplines, two will be dedicated to the College of Education and the top will be devoted to Pacific and Asian studies.

There will be a covered lanai on the second floor. Large windows will offer views to the mall and Manoa Valley.

And 25% of the building’s energy will come from a rooftop photovoltaic system.

Significantly, the College of Education will be able to relocate from its remote location off of the main campus, enabling students and faculty to blend with students pursuing a range of majors in the same building, according to Manoa Provost Michael Bruno.

“From many different perspectives, this project will be transformational for the university,” Bruno said.

At 65,000 square feet, he said, the new building will represent “one of the largest buildings on the Manoa campus and certainly one of the most modern in its design and approach for a teaching and scholarship environment with modern classrooms, with leading-­edge technology, with collaboration spaces for students and faculty.”

There will be both open-space study areas and private, reservable rooms for private study groups or faculty advising.

If not already, Bruno said the new building, improved mall and more powered seating will make McCarthy Mall “the signature space on campus.”

As construction begins, there will be posted timelines, architectural renderings and details of the improvements so the campus community and prospective students and their families can see what to expect next for their favorite spot on campus.

The details will be up this spring in time for campus tours by potential students.

The new building is scheduled to open in time for the fall semester of 2027, Strawn said.

“It’s pretty good there now,” he said. “It’s going to be even better.”