Tufts University to Build New Residence Hall

  • By Matt Jones
  • 11/17/22

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 mjones@1105media.com.

Featured

  • Texas A&M Adds ALPR Technology to Parking Solutions

    Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas, recently integrated automatic license plate recognition (ALPR) technology into its parking services and enforcement strategies, according to a news release. The university’s Transportation Services division deployed Genetec AutoVu ALPR to manage the campus’ 36,000+ parking spaces.

  • Massachusetts Charter School Opens New Academic Building

    The Advanced Math and Science Academy Charter School (AMSA) in Marlborough, Mass., recently held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new academic building, according to a news release. The 17,000-square-foot space will serve as a classroom and science lab building for the student population of almost a thousand in grades 6–12.

  • Minnesota District Partners with Kraus-Anderson on Four Construction Projects

    Stillwater Area Schools in Lake Elmo, Minn., recently announced a partnership with Kraus-Anderson for construction projects at four schools in the district, according to a news release. The projects’ funding comes from a $175-million referendum passed in November 2023.

  • Boosting Student Wellness and Safety Through Indoor-Outdoor School Spaces

    Engaging students through facilities designed for indoor and outdoor learning and activities reflects a growing awareness of how children learn and thrive, with educators recognizing the importance of getting outside and disconnecting from technology. And, as today’s youth grapple with the urgent mental health crisis of increased anxiety and loneliness fueled by both the pandemic and technology, along with a related crisis in youth physical health, the wellness benefits of getting outside have never been so palpable.