Tufts University to Build New Residence Hall

Tufts University in Boston, Mass., recently announced that a new undergraduate residence hall for juniors and seniors is in the planning stages, according to a university news release. The building will include apartment-style units, ground-floor retail space, and an outdoor plaza featuring a café or restaurant. It will be located across the street from the new Medford/Tufts MBTA station and is scheduled to open in fall 2025.

“In addition to building a beautiful, efficient new residence hall, we are taking this opportunity to energize the Boston Avenue streetscape,” said Rocco DiRico, Tufts’ executive director of government and community relations. “Our objective is to create an inviting place on campus, not just for our students, but also for our neighbors who may be catching a train into Boston and for our visitors who may be seeing Tufts for the first time.”

DiRico said the cities of Medford and Somerville have long requested that the university increase availability of on-campus housing to free up off-campus properties for local families. The university currently guarantees housing to freshman and sophomore students, but not upperclassmen.

Local news reports that the new residence hall will have space for 398 beds. Tufts’ last new on-campus residence hall was built in 2006 and has a capacity of 124 beds for juniors and seniors. Local news also reports that the university’s full-time undergraduate enrollment grew by 25.3 percent between fall 2015 and fall 2021.

The university has increased living space on campus during the last five years, adding 485 beds in bits and pieces. The Community Housing (“CoHo”) project involved renovating 13 wood-frame houses to make room for 139 students; it plans to renovate two more houses by fall 2023, the news release reports.

“Being able to have more juniors and seniors living on campus creates a more robust residential community,” said Camille Lizarríbar, dean of Student Affairs. “It increases opportunities for students at different stages of their Tufts experience to learn from and engage with each other, to forge close friendships, and to share memories that last a lifetime.”

About the Author

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

Featured

  • Duncanville High School Breaks Ground on New CTE Building

    Duncanville High School in Duncanville, Texas, recently held a groundbreaking ceremony for the newest addition to its campus, a Career and Technical Education (CTE) facility. The new building is part of a larger CTE expansion project for the school included in a 2023, $170-million bond program.

  • Epson Receives Seven AV Industry Awards

    Projectors manufacturer Epson recently announced that it received multiple awards across the Higher Ed AV Awards, SCN Stellar Service Awards, and InfoComm 2025, according to a news release. The company was recognized for three projectors from its PowerLite L-Series line, accessories, installation process, and its customer support team.

  • Designing Learning Spaces that Support Student Mental Health and Wellness

    In today’s education landscape, schools are more than just centers for learning; they are integral to the holistic development and well-being of students. The global pandemic underscored the importance of addressing mental health in schools, as productivity dropped, stress levels rose and students faced challenges managing emotions.

  • Kimball Showroom Earns WELL Certified Platinum Distinction

    Commercial furnishings company Kimball International recently announced that its showroom in New York City has achieved WELL Certification at the Platinum level as dictated by the International WELL Building Institute, according to a news release. The certification demonstrates a continuing commitment to creating environments that promote health, well-being, and productivity.

Digital Edition