Expanding the geographic reach of one of its areas of expertise – the design of student life facilities – Lord, Aeck & Sargent (LAS) announced that four colleges and universities recently have awarded the architecture firm significant such projects.
At Millersville University, LAS is partnering with private developer Ambling University Development Group and Student Services Inc., a non-profit corporation that enhances the campus and is managed by the university, to replace more than 2,000 beds over five years at a cost of $180 million. At Texas Southern University (Houston), HarrisonKornberg Architects in collaboration with LAS will design a $41.5 million urban student housing project. At Western Michigan University, (Kalamazoo), LAS was just selected to design a housing complex. And LAS is designing its third student housing project for Young Harris College (Young Harris, Ga.), this one a $9.5 million facility targeted toward first-year students. Joe Greco, LAS president and design principal for the four projects, said all of them will have significant living/learning component.
The Millersville housing, which will be designed in phases, will replace six aging dormitories over the next five years, transforming the South Quad of the campus into an academic village. The first phase, designed primarily for freshmen, will be a mostly four-story, 185,000-sf project with more than 700 beds in a mix of single- and double-occupancy suites and semi-suites, at a projected development cost of $35 million. The project design consists of two V-shape residential wings connected by a signature living/learning center that will anchor the end of a historic campus lawn. Construction is scheduled to begin in May 2013 and is planned to be completed by August 2014. Benchmark Construction of Brownstown, Pa., is the construction manager.
The new Texas Southern University (TSU) facility, unlike Millersville, will be located in an urban setting on university-owned land adjacent to the existing main campus. Actively addressing the street, the building is expected to have at least one ground-level retail component. Currently estimated to be 215,000 square feet, the facility will house 800 beds and large and small group social and study spaces on six to seven floors. Construction on the TSU project is scheduled to begin in May 2013, with completion anticipated in July 2014.
At Western Michigan (WMU), the 750- to 1,000-bed housing complex involves the sustainable redevelopment of a central precinct on WMU’s campus, including the demolition of two 1960s-era dormitories and redevelopment of the quad with new, state-of-the-art residence halls. The complex will consist of the individual units, support spaces, an academic area, and other amenities. Construction is slated to begin in late 2013 with occupancy scheduled for the fall of 2015.
The new student housing at Young Harris College (YHC) is the third such project designed by LAS for the college in the last four years as part of its transformation from a two-year college to a comprehensive four-year institution. While LAS’ previous projects, Enotah Hall and The Village, were designed with sophomores and upperclassmen in mind, the new facility will be designed primarily for first-year students.
The 57,500-sf facility will house more than 230 beds organized in “pods.” Each “pod” will contain 11-12 double-occupancy rooms, one single room for a resident assistant, two common bathrooms and a common living area. Pods will be organized in three adjoining pavilions. Two of the structures will be four stories and one, three stories. The central pavilion will house common areas for all residents on the ground floor. Targeting LEED certification, construction began in October with the building scheduled to open in time for the fall 2013 semester. Hardin Construction Co. is construction manager for the project, and Brailsford & Dunlavey is the program manager. +
Related Stories
Multifamily Housing | Jul 25, 2023
San Francisco seeks proposals for adaptive reuse of underutilized downtown office buildings
The City of San Francisco released a Request For Interest to identify office building conversions that city officials could help expedite with zoning changes, regulatory measures, and financial incentives.
Designers | Jul 25, 2023
The latest 'five in focus' healthcare interior design trends
HMC Architects’ Five in Focus blog series explores the latest trends, ideas, and innovations shaping the future of healthcare design.
Urban Planning | Jul 24, 2023
New York’s new ‘czar of public space’ ramps up pedestrian and bike-friendly projects
Having made considerable strides to make streets more accessible to pedestrians and bikers in recent years, New York City is continuing to build on that momentum. Ya-Ting Liu, the city’s first public realm officer, is shepherding $375 million in funding earmarked for projects intended to make the city more environmentally friendly and boost quality of life.
Market Data | Jul 24, 2023
Leading economists call for 2% increase in building construction spending in 2024
Following a 19.7% surge in spending for commercial, institutional, and industrial buildings in 2023, leading construction industry economists expect spending growth to come back to earth in 2024, according to the July 2023 AIA Consensus Construction Forecast Panel.
Hotel Facilities | Jul 21, 2023
In Phoenix, a former motel transforms into a boutique hotel with a midcentury vibe
The Egyptian Motor Hotel’s 48 guest rooms come with midcentury furnishings ranging from egg chairs to Bluetooth speakers that look like Marshall amplifiers.
Office Buildings | Jul 20, 2023
The co-worker as the new office amenity
Incentivizing, rather than mandating the return to the office, is the key to bringing back happy employees that want to work from the office. Spaces that are designed and curated for human-centric experiences will attract employees back into the workplace, and in turn, make office buildings thrive once again. Perkins&Will’s Wyatt Frantom offers a macro to micro view of the office market and the impact of employees on the future of work.
Healthcare Facilities | Jul 19, 2023
World’s first prefab operating room with fully automated disinfection technology opens in New York
The first prefabricated operating room in the world with fully automated disinfection technology opened recently at the University of Rochester Medicine Orthopedics Surgery Center in Henrietta, N.Y. The facility, developed in a former Sears store, features a system designed by Synergy Med, called Clean Cube, that had never been applied to an operating space before. The components of the Clean Cube operating room were custom premanufactured and then shipped to the site to be assembled.
Performing Arts Centers | Jul 18, 2023
Perelman Performing Arts Center will soon open at Ground Zero
In September, New York City will open a new performing arts center in Lower Manhattan, two decades after the master plan for Ground Zero called for a cultural component there. At a cost of $500 million, including $130 million donated by former mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, the Perelman Performing Arts Center (dubbed PAC NYC) is a 138-foot-tall cube-shaped building that glows at night.
Codes and Standards | Jul 17, 2023
Outdated federal rainfall analysis impacting infrastructure projects, flood insurance
Severe rainstorms, sometimes described as “atmospheric rivers” or “torrential thunderstorms,” are making the concept of a “1-in-100-year flood event” obsolete, according to a report from First Street Foundation, an organization focused on weather risk research.
Multifamily Housing | Jul 13, 2023
Walkable neighborhoods encourage stronger sense of community
Adults who live in walkable neighborhoods are more likely to interact with their neighbors and have a stronger sense of community than people who live in car-dependent communities, according to a report by the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at University of California San Diego.