Sculptural wind chimes and a park-like landscape will greet those entering the north side of the University of California, Davis, when the final phase of renovating the Memorial Union complex is completed in the next six months. The north courtyard of the Memorial Union complex will be rebuilt to function as a front door and a place to gather on the north side of the campus. Construction will begin on Thursday, Nov. 19. The new courtyard is the final construction project of the $12.7 million Memorial Union renovation program that began two years ago. The entire renovation, including the $491,000 courtyard project, was funded by a 1987 bond measure approved by UC Davis students. Many more students, faculty, staff and visitors are expected to pass through the north courtyard when the nearby five-story parking garage is completed this spring, according to Allen Lowry, project manager with the campus architects and engineers office. "The new space will act as a kind of 'environmental indicator' and will include a variety of elements that interact with climatic features such as wind, sun and seasonal changes," said Lowry. "Sculptural wind chimes, the use of deciduous trees, plants that flower or change color with the seasons and outdoor furnishings that cast changing shadows will highlight the park-like setting." The 27,700-square-foot project extends from the north wall of the enlarged MU tower to the curb line at the northern end of the Quad. Because the MU bowling alley lies below the southern portion of the site, landscaping can be used only in the northern half of the courtyard area, according to Lowry. Early in the renovation work, the roof of the bowling alley that lies just below the concrete courtyard will be waterproofed. Existing features in the current courtyard, such as the brick wall, will be recycled and the trellis will be removed and reused by the campus arboretum. Plans for the new courtyard were developed by a program committee that included students, campus planners and architects. "It's a pleasure to see such an artistic and environmentally responsive endeavor that is a product of student participation," said Robert Strand, campus architect. Hargreaves Associates of San Francisco designed the project with the assistance of two Bay Area artists. This is the first UC Davis project for Hargreaves, a company that has won a number of landscape design awards. All services in the courtyard area will remain in operation during the construction phase, but access to the courtyard will be altered. MU bike parking at the northern end of the Quad will be eliminated during the project. Access to the MU games area and the bookstore will be through the east entrance of the MU. Campus planners scheduled the work for the winter months to minimize interference with large events planned for Freeborn Hall during the spring and summer months.