Last modified: Friday, June 24, 2011
IU Trustees approve design for Bloomington residence hall, apartments
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 24, 2011
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The Indiana University Board of Trustees gave approval today (June 24) to the design of a new student residence hall and apartment complex near the east side of the IU Bloomington campus, setting the stage for construction of the facilities to begin later this year.
The projects, to be built near the intersection of Third and Union streets, will incorporate design features that emphasize sustainability, flexibility, community and technology to build thriving communities of students.
"Residence halls provide undergraduates with opportunities to make connections, learn responsibility and become part of a dynamic academic community," said Executive Vice President and IU Bloomington Provost Karen Hanson. "University apartments help students sustain their involvement with the life of the campus. These exciting new projects feature innovative design concepts that will both appeal to students and help them become engaged and successful."
The 450-bed residence hall will be built at the northwest corner of Rose and Jones avenues. It will be made up of four-story buildings, with a total area of 155,000 square feet. It will provide a mix of room types, including double-occupancy rooms with group bathrooms; single, semi-suite rooms with group bathrooms; and single rooms with bathrooms.
The four-level, 84,000-square-foot apartment building will be built on the north side of Third Street between Union Street and Rose Avenue. It is planned to include approximately 106 units: studio apartments, one-bedroom apartments and two-bedroom apartments.
Architects for the projects are MSKTD & Associates of Fort Wayne, Ind., and Mackey Mitchell Architects of St. Louis for the residence hall and CSO Architects of Indianapolis for the apartments.
New apartments will be built on Third Street between Union Street and Rose Avenue.
The projects will have limestone exteriors and will be designed to fit with the prevailing style of the IU Bloomington campus architecture. Both are designed with the goal of receiving Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building council, with plans that incorporate energy conservation, waste recycling and other features of sustainability.
The projects reflect the selection of IU Bloomington as one of three initial participants in the 21st Century Project, an initiative by the Association of College and University Housing Officers-International to develop campus housing that provides unique, functional, and technologically advanced living experiences that can attract and retain students. Tenets of the 21st Century Project, which include sustainability, flexibility, community and technology, also were incorporated in the design of IU Bloomington's Union Street Center residence hall, which opened in the fall of 2010.
Both facilities will include prominent and easily accessible common areas, student lounges, classrooms, computer labs, music practice rooms and other features designed to help build community. Student input played a significant role in the planning of the projects.
The residence hall is expected to cost $38 million and will be funded by auxiliary revenue bonds, repaid through Residential Programs and Services (RPS) revenue. The apartment building will cost $16 million and will be funded from RPS reserve funds.
The projects were approved by the Indiana Commission for Higher Education in May and by the State Budget Committee on Thursday (June 23). Construction is expected to begin this summer on the apartments and by the end of the calendar year on the residence hall. Plans call for opening the apartments in the fall of 2012 and the residence hall in the fall of 2013.
