UConn Board of Trustees Approves New Residence Hall

The Board of Trustees for the University of Connecticut in Storrs, Conn., recently approved the construction of a new residence hall in south campus.

A university news release reports that the new residence hall, scheduled to open in fall 2024, will have 657 beds and a dining hall with a capacity of 500. The new dorm will stand near the existing South Campus Residence Halls to create a new, shared courtyard between the two.

The project’s budget is $215 million, and funds will come mainly through UConn-issued special obligation bonds, according to the news release. Amenities are set to include communal and private lounges and common spaces, a game room, seminar rooms and meeting rooms, bicycle storage, laundry facilities and multipurpose spaces. The new dining hall was also designed to lessen wait times at other campus dining facilities.

The facility was designed with sustainability features meeting LEED Gold requirements and Connecticut High Performance Building standards. The building will use geothermal wells to tap into the planet’s stable temperature and reduce energy consumption, the news release reports. Landscaped stormwater management areas will also limit water runoff into the nearby Mirror Lake.

The university partnered with architecture firm Sasaki for the building’s design, according to the UConn website.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Zurn Elkay Releases 2025 Sustainability Report

    Zurn Elkay Water Solutions recently announced the release of its annual sustainability report, according to a news release. The 2025 report discusses the organization’s efforts to maintain good environmental stewardship and the solutions provided in helping customers meet sustainability goals.

  • Children walking along bright school corridor with motion blur

    How Next-Gen Design Is Reshaping the Student Experience

    The environments where students learn play a crucial role in shaping their growth in and out of the classroom. By centering design on well-being, flexibility, and purpose, districts can ensure their facilities remain vibrant community assets for many years to come.

  • Girl Sitting at Library Desk, Using Laptop

    How Campus Design Shapes the Finals Week Experience

    Academic performance is not just about preparation. It is closely tied to how students manage stress, maintain their energy, and shift between work and recovery modes. Much of that is influenced, directly or indirectly, by design.

  • Image courtesy of Kahler Slater

    UW–Madison Announces Completion of Morgridge Hall

    The University of Wisconsin–Madison recently announced that construction is complete on Morgridge Hall, a new academic building, according to a news release. The facility opened September 3 at the start of the fall semester, consolidating the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences into a single facility for the first time.