Construction Complete on University of Colorado Boulder’s Newest and Largest Residence Hall

BOULDER, CO – The new Williams Village East residence hall at the University of Colorado Boulder proudly welcomed its first students in August for the fall 2019 semester. The 178,000-square-foot residence hall, the university’s largest, houses a total of 705 students. The $96.7 million residence hall was designed by St. Louis-based KWK Architects as part of the design-build team, which also included architect-of-record alm2s of Fort Collins, CO, and Whiting-Turner Contracting Company of Denver, CO. Construction on Williams Village East began in August 2017.

Important aspects of the seven-story hall’s design is its sustainability, dedication to student privacy and focus on community.

UC Boulder Residence Hall 

Williams Village East features a new bathroom design that gives each student maximum privacy. The gender-neutral, individual bathrooms each include a shower, sink, toilet and changing space to accommodate student requests for more privacy.

Williams Village East was designed to achieve a LEED Platinum certification under LEED v4. Some of its sustainability features include numerous windows to let in natural light and windows with electrochromic glazing that adjust the shading based on the time of day and year. A pond that uses ditch water from snowmelt supplies the Williams Village Campus and saves the campus 13 million gallons of water per year.

The windows in the student bedrooms feature magnets that turn off the heating or cooling systems when the windows are opened, and a vacancy sensor in each room turns off the lights and turns down the heating or cooling levels when students leave the room. A black switch turns off “phantom loads,” or electronics that are left plugged in when not in use to conserve electricity. Other renewable energy features of the building include solar panels, LED lighting, recycling areas, green outlets, thermostats in each room, low-flow toilets and urinals, door closers and a VRF HVAC system.

Sustainability is also playing a role in building community in the new hall by grouping floors into sustainability teams that compete to use the least amount of water and energy. Winning teams can earn community reward parties throughout the semester.

Community wellness is also promoted in the building’s wayfinding graphics which feature photography of local Boulder nature destinations. The destinations are also mapped out on a full-scale wall map in the first-floor game room, encouraging students to get out and find the featured destinations. Another way community and student interaction is promoted is in the main level great room, which features a community center staffed by students that includes a kitchen and living room area, plus a gaming area with large televisions hooked up to Sony PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, plus other games.

The Williams Village East exterior was designed to match the architectural style and finish of Williams Village North, which opened in August 2011.

Featured

  • Image courtesy of MiEN Company

    6 Ways to Pull Off a Major District Construction Project

    Designing and building a large-scale project on a K–12 campus is a monumental undertaking that requires the right blend of ideas, funding, design and execution to get it right. The process also relies on multiple partners, each of which has to handle its respective aspect of the project while also keeping the district’s broader mission and goals in mind.

  • Greenheck Launches Optics Sensors for Kitchen Hoods

    Greenheck recently announced the launch of factory-installed optics sensors as an enhanced option for its kitchen ventilation hoods, according to a news release.

  • Creating a First and Lasting Impression with Thoughtful, Sustainable Design

    Clemson University’s Nieri Family Alumni and Visitors Center serves as the new front door to campus, anchoring the Tiger experience through each step in the student journey.

  • University of Kentucky Stormwater Harvesting System Receives Award

    The Utilities and Energy Management team from the University of Kentucky recently received a Grand Award at the 2025 Engineering Excellence Awards, according to a university news release. The award from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Kentucky was for the university’s Central Utility Plant (CUP) Stormwater Harvesting System, which activated in fall 2023.

Digital Edition