Students visiting the Memorial Union this semester will find that the campus hotspot has undergone several changes during the summer.

The $53 million MU renovations include new and redesigned stairwells, a sustainable restaurant and audio-visual system updates in the second-floor ballrooms, MU Director Kellie Lowe said in an e-mail.

The overhaul began five months ago and was prompted by the fire that occurred in the building in November.

Lowe said the damage was repaired, and new fire sprinklers and alarm systems were installed, bringing the building up to current fire-code compliance.

The repair and upgrade to the second floor was completed Aug. 15, and the entire building was granted its certificate of occupancy, she said.

Students, faculty and staff are already utilizing the renovated space, Lowe said.

“The space has been transformed into a bright collection of rooms with ample public corridors and furnishings that evoke formal yet comfortable qualities indicative of a desert environment, the original 1956 design and the bold forward-looking vision of the New American University,” she said.

The new environmentally friendly restaurant, Engrained, has been added to the second floor and is scheduled to open on Aug. 28, Lowe said.

Nutrition junior Ana Michunovich said Engrained is the renovation that she’s looking forward to most.

“I think it’s great that ASU has added a restaurant that focuses on healthier, organic types of foods,” she said.

Other additions to the area include the MU Plaza Project, which is halfway toward completion, Lowe said.

Phase I of the project included the redesign of the plaza north of the MU, which consisted of new landscaping, the addition of a performance stage and the removal and addition of new concrete throughout the plaza.

Phase II, including lighted shade canopies and additional seating, is on schedule to be completed by the end of January, Lowe said.

Religious studies sophomore Jeremy Bailey said the shaded seating area would be beneficial for students.

“It sounds great for the cooler months,” he said. “It will help out during the extra-crowded times when it’s hard to find a place to sit and eat.”

The MU’s reopening ceremony is Thursday at 8:30 a.m.

Reach the reporter at charlsy.panzino@asu.edu.