With almost 40,000 students on a 643-acre campus, the UW is constantly changing, often without community members noticing.

Now, with a large renovation plan in the works, the HUB will be undergoing some alterations — but not without the say of those who frequently find themselves on-campus.

Today, a town hall-style meeting will take place from 2-3:15p.m. in the North Husky Den of the HUB to give the UW community a chance to speak with the architects behind the remodel of the student union building.

The HUB Master Plan aims to address the needs of today's students and to create a building that is flexible enough to accommodate future generations as well. The architectural firm chosen to design the plan, Perkins and Will, was picked from a candidate pool of 11 firms with experience designing student union buildings.

"We were specifically looking for a firm that had done remodels ... of union buildings," said Paul Zuchowski, associate director of operations for Student Activities and Union Facilities.

"Union buildings serve a different function ... we wanted a firm that understands the philosophy behind them."

The Architectural Commission of the University of Washington, who selected the firm, is dedicated to implementing sustainable designs and chose Perkins and Will in part for their ability to do so.

"The architecture commission specifically stressed...sustainable building, energy efficient building in such a way that it is ... easily maintained," Zuchowski said.

Students are encouraged to attend and talk about what they would like to see in the new HUB.

"Students should get involved because it's their building and while, for the most part, most of them will not be here when the new building opens...what they're doing is creating a...legacy of students who are here right now for students of the future," ASUW Community Relations Director Sam Al-Khoury said.

During the summer, architects will develop three different proposals: low, middle and high cost options, based on the criteria developed by the students, faculty and staff.

The Master Plan Web site lays out the specific goals of the project, which include, "strengthening campus community by increasing programs and services...encouraging interactions between students, faculty and staff ... [and] ... enhancing student involvement."

"It's really import that as many people provide their input as possible, because we don't want to build a building for 1,000 people ... we want to build a building for 40,000 students," Al-Khoury said.

Zuchowski encourages students who are unable to attend the meeting to post their ideas on the Web site.

"Different people look at different things ... notice different problems," Zuchowski said.

Reach reporter Sarah Greenleaf at news@thedaily.washington.edu.