August 23, 2007

Purdue breaks ground on new residence hall

New residence hall rendering
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When completed prior to the fall 2009 semester, the hall will house up to 365 students, each in a single-bed room with a private bathroom. Resident rooms will be joined in 22-room clusters that share a common living/dining area, study lounge and laundry room.

Tom Paczolt, the hall's general manager, said Purdue University Residences is providing the new option in response to a new generation of students who grew up with their own bedrooms.

"This option gives them privacy with all of the advantages of living in residence halls, such as a secure environment, friends close by, an affordable and convenient meal plan, easy access to campus, and organized social and educational activities," Paczolt said. "This is the future of university housing."

The hall will be open to all campus residents with priority given by the number of years a student has lived in university residences. Paczolt expects most residents will be junior and senior undergraduates.

"There is always a waiting list for the few single rooms we currently have on campus," he said. "I expect this hall will be in even higher demand because it will be a high-end facility complete with air conditioning, carpeting, and lots of wood and tile trim."

The hall, which is modeled in large part after a similar facility at Penn State University, also will feature a community center that includes a conference room, multipurpose room, recreation room and student club rooms. The total cost to build the hall, located adjacent to Earhart Hall northeast of the intersection of MacArthur Drive and Indiana 26, is slated at $52 million. University Residences, which is self-supporting, will use bond proceeds, not tax dollars, to build the hall. The bonds will be repaid with resident user fees.

General contractor F.A Wilhelm Construction Co. Inc. of Indianapolis was selected in May. A superstructure of poured concrete slabs and columns is designed to give the building a useful lifespan of at least 50 years. The contractor also will install infrastructure that will allow construction of a future phase that includes more beds in a new building.

"We're building a facility to last many years," Paczolt said. " This increases the time needed for construction, however the additional time allows us to provide a high-quality facility for our customers."

University Residences will soon install a camera in a nearby building that will allow visitors to the University Residences Web site to monitor the building's progress.

When complete, the new hall will help replace resident rooms lost to renovation at Cary Quadrangle and Young Hall and the razing of apartments at Purdue Village.

"This hall also will help offset apartments we expect to lose per the University Residences and campus master plans," said John A. Sautter, vice president for housing and food services. "Its single-room design increases the diversity of our housing inventory and provides students a move-up option in addition to the suites and apartments we currently offer."

With nearly 12,000 residents, Purdue University Residences is the largest on-campus housing system in the nation in which participation is voluntary for all residents.

"Our job is to anticipate and respond to what the students, or customers, want and need," said Barbara Frazee, executive director of University Residences. "Students choose to live with us because we are providing options and services that augment their entire Purdue experience."

Writer: Jim Schenke, (765) 494-6262, jschenke@purdue.edu

Sources: Tom Paczolt, (765) 494-1000, tpaczolt@purdue.edu

Barbara Frazee, (765) 494-1000, bjfrazee@purdue.edu

John A. Sautter, (765) 494-1022, jasautter@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

Note to Journalists: Additional renderings and floor plans are available by contacting Jim Schenke, Purdue News Service, at (765) 494-6262, jschenke@purdue.edu

PHOTO CAPTION:

Purdue University Residences is building its first new residence hall since 1993. When it opens in August 2009, it will be the first Purdue residence hall made up completely of single-bed resident rooms. (Ratio Architects Inc. rendering)

A publication-quality photo is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2007/reshall-07.jpg

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