Construction began Monday on phase two of the North Campus Housing project, which cost over $97 million and is expected to provide housing for 807 transfer students upon completion in fall 2011.
The second phase of the project consists of erecting seven buildings ranging from one to 13 stories in height. Once construction is complete, there will be 146 four-, five- and six-bedroom apartments for students and two three-bedroom apartments for staff.
This phase of construction will also include a bistro ‘mdash; the Strand ‘mdash; and an adjacent market. Building plans also allot space for a centralized reception area, conference and meeting rooms, administrative offices and maintenance and custodial spaces.
According to Housing and Dining Services Director Mark Cunningham, construction is five months ahead of schedule.
Overall, this phase of construction will envelop over 266,000 square feet, encompassing parking lot P-357, located at Scholars Drive North and North Point Drive.
The first phase of construction is composed of eight buildings, taking up 370,000 square feet of space and includes a 14-story residential tower, a bookstore, cafe and space for 1,060 incoming transfer students who will move in fall 2009. It cost $122 million to build.
Project Manager Mark Nelson said the goal is to house 2,000 transfer students per year.
‘At this point, we don’t see any real obstacles,’ he said. ‘We’re doing OK financially.’
However, Cunningham said the construction may affect vehicular traffic next fall.
‘I expect the largest impact will be this fall, when we are completing phase one and moving in the residents while phase two is under construction,’ he said. ‘The site is fairly user friendly compared to some other projects on the campus, so I think the impact will be minimal.’
He added that the new buildings may also offer housing to nontransfer upper-division students, if space is available.
‘The campus goal is to be able to provide a front-end, two-year guarantee to incoming transfer students like we do for our freshpersons, and within that goal, provide a community that can meet as many of their needs as possible,’ Cunningham said.
Community Coordinator Molly Hansen said that incoming transfer students would get priority housing in the new complex.
‘If there’s extra room, it’ll go to the continuing [transfer] students,’ she said.
Associate Vice Chancellor of Design and Construction Boone Hellmann said the buildings include features designed to enhance their sustainability.
To help naturally regulate temperature, they will be primarily oriented in an east-west alignment.
They will also be installed with plumbing fixtures that promote low water usage, an efficient roof-drainage system for landscape irrigation and porous paving along the Strand’s walkway. Low-emittance window coating will allow for reduced energy usage.
The U.S. Green Building Council ‘mdash; a certification system that measures the capacity for buildings to save energy, conserve water and reduce carbon-dioxide emissions while preserving the quality of the indoor environment ‘mdash; has granted the project a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design ‘silver’ rating. Cunningham hopes to achieve a ‘gold’ rating by the end of the project.
Cunningham said he hopes the new housing development will help create a welcoming community for transfer students.
‘My hope [is] that when this is completed, we have a neighborhood that everyone feels comfortable, safe and happy living in,’ he said. ‘I hope that every student living there has opportunities to be part of the neighborhood and takes advantage of those opportunities. Finally, I hope and believe we have brought a housing program that is very unique and relevant.’
Readers can contact Kelly Pleskot at [email protected].