On Saturday night, as the rain poured down outside, hundreds of students and Residence Life staff gathered indoors to celebrate their first night in their new home.
After a delayed opening, the new residence hall in North Residential Village officially opened for 290 upperclass students last weekend.
Designed in an “S” shape to maximize outdoor living areas, the new building, which is only open to upperclassmen, features eight two-bedroom townhouses. The main building’s additional 96 apartments range in size from one to four bedrooms.
Located across from Nobby’s Ballpark on East 115th Street, the residence hall is expected to achieve a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver Certification.
“The best part of the new residence hall is definitely the use of space,” Noella Museminali, a junior civil engineering student with a minor in pre-architecture, said. “The shape of the suites is such that all the common spaces sort of flow into each other, creating a great sense of fluidity. The large window allows lots of natural light to come into our living room, and we’re lucky enough to be one of the suites with a great view of the baseball field and its surroundings.”
In addition to the apartments, the residence hall features eight academic nodes, or study lounges, that incorporate bright colors into the design and have entire walls students can use as dry-erase boards. The study rooms vary in size to accommodate different groups and include moveable furniture so students can modify the space to best fit their needs.
Outdoor spaces include rain gardens and courtyards. Retention pond areas with drought-tolerant, native plants fill the outdoor spaces. Also unique to the building is the outdoor roof patio, which students will be able to use as soon as railings are installed.
Other building amenities include:
- Indoor bike storage
- Mailboxes
- Trash chutes and recycling locations on every floor
- Laundry room
- Residence Life staff office
Residents aren’t the only ones who can benefit from the new building. Students from across campus will have the opportunity to take advantage of the building’s active-learning classroom, public lounge and multi-purpose room, which can be reserved.
The project initially launched in March 2014 after approval from the university’s Board of Trustees, Euclid Corridor Design Review and City Planning Commission.
With an initial opening date slated for the beginning of the academic year, construction was stalled due to harsh winter conditions. In March, it became evident that the project would not be completed in time for students’ arrival on campus this fall.
Before selecting residence halls for this year, students were made aware of the delay and told if they selected the new building, they would likely face two move-in dates this fall: one in August to a temporary space and another in September when the building officially opened to residents.
Students who had selected the living arrangement were mostly housed in local hotels and transported to campus via shuttles since classes have started. Those who who were affected received a one-time concession of $1,250 because they were unable to receive the full benefit of their residence hall.
“I love this new building. Design-wise, the main question everyone has is what it’s going to be like relative to the Village. Overall, I think this is slightly better,” Jesse Martin, a senior biomedical engineering student, said. “People like the large, open kitchens, and the study rooms are really cool.”
Construction still is being completed in common areas and to the exterior. The entire project is expected to be complete in mid-October.
In the coming months, the university hopes to hold a grand opening event to share the new residence hall with the entire campus community.