University of Hawaii at Mānoa Begins Construction on Student Housing Facility

The University of Hawaii at Mānoa in Honolulu, Hawaii, recently completed the first phase of construction on a new housing facility for graduate students, according to a university news release. Groundbreaking for the Residences for Graduate Students took place on Oct. 4, and the project will cost an estimated $170 million.

The facility will consist of two buildings, 18 stories and 12 stories, and house more than 550 graduate students, their families, and junior faculty members. The space will also include amenities like study rooms, a café retail space, a childcare facility, and more, the news release reports. The facility is scheduled to open its doors in fall 2025.

“Our graduate students here at Mānoa, like every other major research university, perform a lot of the actual work behind the discoveries that we make and push out to good use in the community,” said Michael Bruno, UH Mānoa Provost, at the groundbreaking ceremony. “This project, for the first time, will give them a residence on campus so that they can become more integrated into our campus community and feel like they are a really valued member of our community.”

The project is the second major public-private partnership (P3) on the university’s campus. UH Mānoa partnered with Greystar Real Estate Partners, which is developing and managing the property. Greystar also selected Swinerton Builders for the project’s construction.

“In Hawaii, we hear a lot of rhetoric about P3s,” said Kalbert Young, UH Vice President for Budget and Finance/CFO. “I have heard a lot of politicians, government officials, business leaders, talk about the need for P3s in Hawaii literally for decades, and yet, I am challenged to think of any other project that is a true bonafide P3. And us here today, I think we can take a sense of pride in recognizing, we are talking about groundbreaking on the second public-private partnership at the University of Hawaii in less than three years.”

The university’s first P3 project, the Residences for Innovative Student Entrepreneurs (RISE), opened to students in August 2023.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Indiana University Launches Capital Campus in D.C.

    Indiana University recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new IU Capital Campus in Washington, D.C., according to university news. The eight-story facility will provide a central hub for the university’s existing programs and business operations based in D.C., uniting them under one roof and providing the opportunity to expand.

  • University of Oklahoma Announces New Campus Master Plan

    The University of Oklahoma in Norman, Okla., recently announced that it will soon launch a new, comprehensive Campus Master Plan to guide the campus’ physical development during the next decade, according to a news release.

  • Rowan University, HPE Partner on New Learning Initiative

    Rowan University in Glassboro, N.J., recently announced that it has expanded its partnership with enterprise technology provider HPE to improve research capabilities and hands-on learning opportunities, according to a news release.

  • UTampa Breaks Ground on STEM Academic Facility

    The University of Tampa in Tampa, Fla., recently broke ground on one of its largest academic facilities ever, according to a news release. The Dickey Science Innovation Center will measure 153,000 square feet and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.