The new eco-friendly Union South opened its doors for a media tour Friday, one week before the official opening April 15.
Student Project Manager Paul Davidsaver said the building will be unlike any other on campus.
""This will be the first [Leadership Energy and Environmental Design] building on campus, and it's going to receive the gold rating,"" Davidsaver said.
The design committee had originally sought to earn a silver rating from LEED.
LEED ratings measure sustainability and are given based on design and how the building operates.
Builders were able to recycle 88 percent of the former Union building, as well as panels from the Schlimgen building and Kohl Center floor.
Flooring in Varsity Hall and several meeting rooms of the new Union are made from reclaimed wood barns in Wisconsin.
The builders tried to use all Wisconsin materials when recycling, Davidsaver said.
Union South also features forms of entertainment not offered at other university buildings.
The lower level includes a rock climbing wall, bowling lanes and billiards. The main level will host live music performances and the third floor has additional seating overlooking the stage.
The multi-level recreation and entertainment area called The Sett is thought to be the living room of the campus, Davidsaver said.
The building contains new restaurants as well as a Badger Market and the Daily Scoop, Davidsaver said.
Despite the high number of eateries, the Design Committee avoided giving the structure a ""food court"" feel.
""Each has its own function and is designed to feel like a restaurant,"" Davidsaver said.
The Urban Slice, designed to feel like a New York style pizza shop, features the ""Strombozilla""—a three-foot long ""city-destroyer"" calzone meant to be shared by groups of friends, according to Davidsaver.
The Marquee will screen movies curated by the Wisconsin Union Directorate, and is designed specifically for films and speakers.
Davidsaver said that during opening weekend there will be a line, but the theater has more than doubled the Union's previous capacity with 350 seats.
The famed Terrace chairs are scattered throughout the interior and exterior of the building. Their inclusion is meant to connect the two buildings, as Union South is not meant to be a competitor of the Terrace's, according to Davidsaver.
""Memorial Union set the standard for the 20th century and Union South sets the standard for the 21st,"" Davidsaver said.
