The national general contractor Suffolk has had a longstanding relationship with the University of Massachusetts. Over the years it has built nine residential facilities on that institution’s 9,000-student campus at North Dartmouth, Mass., between Providence and Cape Cod, including the 800-bed Pine Dale and Oak Glen halls, and the 1,200-bed Woodland apartment complex.
Last month, the partners broke ground on a $134 million housing and dining complex on Parking Lot 7 near the university’s Campus Center and College of Visual and Performing Arts.
The project, when completed in the fall of 2020, will replace four residence halls that opened in 1976. It includes a 1,210-bed, 267,000-sf housing complex in two buildings, with an estimated cost of $108 million. These facilities will have classrooms, multimedia and study lounges, demonstration kitchens, and recreational spaces. A technology equipped maker space will enable students to work in groups. The buildings will also have soundproof music practice rooms and two computer learning commons.
The housing builldings will flank a $26 million, 38,000-sf student dining commons with an 800-person capacity, which replaces the university’s main dining hall built in 1977. Its design includes a large flat top grill where students can see their meals being prepared.
“Our team has worked in collaboration with the University from the beginning and we are excited to deliver a facility that will meet the unique needs of their students and faculty for decades to come,” says Randy Kreie, Principal and President of DiMella Shaffer, the construction’s design architect.
The residence halls are being built through a private-public partnership between the university and Greystar, which specializes in housing development and management. No state taxpayer funds will be used, and the project won’t add to the university’s debt. (The project is being financed through the UMass Building Authority.)
This is the first major state-funded building project on this campus since 1980, and represents the first phase of Chancellor Robert E. Johnson’s plan to focus capital investment on the 710-acre UMass Dartmouth main campus. (As part of the current project’s overall scope, the campus’s Science and Engineering Building is undergoing a $54 million renovation that is partly financed by $25 million in state funds.) Future initiatives will include renovation and modernization of academic buildings, the campus center, road infrastructure, and athletic facilities.
“We know from studies and our own extensive experience that providing high-quality living-learning environments for students increases graduation rates, retention rates and academic performance,” says UMass President Marty Meehan. “This project represents an investment in student success and student opportunity at UMass Dartmouth, which by extension will benefit the SouthCoast and the entire Commonwealth.”
Related Stories
University Buildings | Mar 24, 2020
Ponce Health Sciences University to build a medical school in North St. Louis
Clayco will build the project.
Plumbing | Mar 13, 2020
Pioneer Industries launches new website
Pioneer Industries launches new website
University Buildings | Mar 9, 2020
Designing campus buildings through an equity lens
As colleges become more diverse, campus conversation is focusing on how to create equitable environments that welcome all voices.
University Buildings | Mar 9, 2020
Auburn University, Robins & Morton open Construction Field Laboratory
Robins & Morton and Auburn University’s College of Architecture, Design and Construction (CADC) recently celebrated the dedication of the Robins & Morton Construction Field Laboratory.
University Buildings | Feb 20, 2020
Kettering University’s new Learning Commons includes a student entrepreneur lab
Stantec designed the project.
University Buildings | Feb 18, 2020
UC Berkeley’s Enclave Apartments features a unique Moorish Castle design
Kirk E Peterson & Associates designed the project.
University Buildings | Feb 10, 2020
Sino-French Aviation University breaks ground in Hangzhou
HENN designed the project.
University Buildings | Jan 27, 2020
St. Edward’s University reveals new Recreation and Athletic Center
Specht Architects designed the building.
University Buildings | Jan 6, 2020
Making it: Gen Z learns by doing
This fundamental shift in learning style will have an impact on higher-education space planning.
University Buildings | Dec 17, 2019
Two LMN Architects-designed academic science buildings move forward for completion next year
These facilities will bring several disciplines under one roof.