William & Mary Begins 10-Year, $700M Campus Improvement Plan

The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va., recently announced that construction has begun on a ten-year project that will lead to the replacement or renovation of 80% of on-campus residences, according to college news. The project will cost an estimated $700 million and will take place across three phases.

Phase one entails building four new residence halls for a total capacity of 1,204 new beds, renovating two existing dorms, and building a 50,000-square-foot dining facility in west campus. The first step of construction—the demolition of the existing Yates Hall to make room for construction—began in July and is scheduled for completion in fall 2025. Phase one’s total cost is an estimated $320 million.

“This project reflects our steadfast commitment to meeting the needs of students of today and of generations to come,” said Vice President for Student Affairs Ginger Ambler. “We have kept students at the center of this ambitious project, designing beautiful, innovative spaces that will allow them to thrive in community with one another.”

Phase two involves redeveloping the college’s Campus Center to incorporate student housing, a dining facility, and admissions office, and a bookstore; redeveloping the Randolph Complex to build a new residence hall; redeveloping the site of Richmond Hall; and upgrading One Tribe Place. Phase 2 will cost an estimated $350 million.

Finally, phase three will involve developing student housing in West Campus at a site still to be determined; renovating four existing residence halls; and renovating the Lettle Pate Whitehead Evans Graduate Complex.

The new residence halls will include sustainability initiatives like geothermal heating and cooling, as well as transitioning the fossil-fuel-using systems in two existing dorms with geothermal energy.

The university partnered with VMDO Architects for the buildings’ designs and with Balfour Beatty and Kjellstrom+Lee for construction.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Three U.S. Universities Install Acre Security Access Control Platform

    Cloud-native physical and digital security solutions company Acre Security recently announced that it has deployed its access control platform at three major universities in the U.S., according to a news release. Acre partnered with Atrium Campus to provide coverage for more than 69,000 students at the University of Virginia (UVA), George Mason University, and Rockhurst University.

  • University of Kansas Opens $400M Football Stadium Reconstruction

    The University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan., recently announced that the $400-million reconstruction of David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium is complete in time for the 2025 football season, according to a news release. The university partnered with Turner Construction Company on the project.

  • Kenall Introduces Millenium Flair Series

    In a move aimed at modernizing institutional lighting without compromising on durability or performance, Kenall has launched its new Millenium Flair series, according to the Kenall website.

  • K–12 Safety Trends Report Reveals Reliance on Training, Technology

    Wearable safety technology provider CENTEGIX recently released its 2025 School Safety Trends Report, according to a news release. The report is based on more than 265,000 incidents during the 2024–25 school year as reported through the CENTEGIX Safety Platform, used by more than 800 school districts across the U.S.

Digital Edition