Plans for the continued renovation of the Alderman Road dormitories were announced at the recent Board of Vistors’ Buildings and Grounds Committee meeting.
The plan calls for the demolition of the Balz and Dobie dormitories this summer, making room for the first of two new dormitories. The new dormitories will be asymmetrical in design and will essentially be “four smaller buildings tied together to make two larger buildings,” University Architect David Neuman said.
These new buildings will be similar in style to the recently constructed Kellogg House and will be hall style, accommodating between 20 to 22 students and one resident adviser per hall, Neuman said.
Neuman said the first of the two new dormitories will be ready for use by summer 2011 and the second by summer 2013.
The two new houses also will be accompanied by a student commons building that will serve as a multipurpose space and will provide sit-down dining for as many as 250 people, Neuman added. The commons building is intended to serve the entire first-year student community.
“Anybody who needs the space at large can reserve it,” said Vicki Gist, director of Residence Life and interim associate dean of students.
A major reason for the new construction is the current high maintenance costs of the existing dormitories. Neuman said these costs are not surprising because the residences were built to last only for a period of 30 years.
He said the new buildings will be taller, creating more open space around the first-year houses. The new buildings also will be more resource efficient in construction and design, and Neuman said he expects the buildings to achieve at least a base certification from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System.
In addition to being environmentally friendly, the buildings are expected to better accommodate the needs of future residents than the existing first-year dormitories in the area.
“We are there to ensure that this space is equal to or better than Kellogg,” Gist said.
The new dormitories will feature amenities that the existing houses lack, such as controllable heating and air conditioning, Neuman said. Gist noted that on the bottom level of each building, amenities such as study lounges, common areas, small kitchen spaces and laundry rooms will be available to residents.
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