Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Providence College Plans $54M Residence Hall

  • By Matt Jones
  • 03/17/22

Providence College in Providence, R.I., has developed plans to build a $54-million, six-story residence hall that could potentially open in September 2023. The Providence City Plan Commission voted on Tuesday, March 15, to approve an amendment to the college’s institutional master plan allowing the college to move forward with construction. The new Shanley Hall, to be named after former college president the Rev. Brian Shanley, would cover about 123,000 square feet and contain beds for 355–360 sophomore students, according to local news.

The new building will allow students to temporarily move out of another campus dormitory, Aquinas Hall, which was built in 1939. Aquinas Hall will see its own series of renovations once the building is vacant, said college spokesman Steven Maurano.

“The rooms are fairly small, and the bathrooms really need to be updated,” Maurano said of Aquinas Hall. “And so, when we go in and renovate that building, I expect that we’re going to renovate it such that we have less rooms in it than we do now. Because when we renovate, we’ll make the existing rooms bigger. The bathrooms will be bigger and more modern.”

Shanley Hall will include amenities like lounges, study rooms, quiet alcoves, meeting rooms and communal kitchens, according to local news.

“This particular building is to accommodate students with our present enrollment on campus,” said Mark Rapoza, assistant vice president for capital projects and facilities for Providence College. “That doesn’t mean in the future we won’t be coming forward with an additional amendment somewhere down the road to create some additional beds if we need to be able to do that.”

Shanley Hall would become the college’s first new residence hall since 2005. The university partnered with architectural firm Symmes Maini & Mckee Associates for the facility’s design.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Texas State University Completes Stadium Renovations

    Texas State University in San Marcos, Texas, recently announced that it has completed a series of additions and renovations to its football stadium, according to a news release. Formerly known as the Bobcat Stadium End Zone Complex, the Johnny and Nathali Weisman Football Performance Center is an 85,000-square-foot expansion featuring hospitality spaces, banquet spaces, exterior concourses, and upgrades to the field house.

  • University of Arizona Approves New Residence Hall

    The Arizona Board of Regents recently approved plans for a new residence hall at the University of Arizona in Tucson, Ariz., according to a news release. The new facility is scheduled to open in fall 2028 and have the capacity for more than 1,200 students, enforcing a new university expectation that all first-year students live on campus.

  • University of Rhode Island, Gilbane Partner for Three New Residence Halls

    The University of Rhode Island in Kingston, R.I., recently announced a public-private partnership with construction development firm Gilbane, according to a news release. Gilbane will soon start construction on three new residence halls with a total of 1,100 beds: two with apartment-style suites in northwest campus, and a reconstruction of the Graduate Village Apartments for graduate students.

  • Countway Library at Harvard Medical School

    From Shadows to Sanctuary: The Transformation of Light at Countway Library

    The renovation of Countway Library at Harvard Medical School demonstrates how biophilic design and advanced lighting strategies transformed a formerly dark, insular space into a vibrant, welcoming hub that supports wellness, learning, and community engagement.