University of North Florida Breaks Ground on New Residence Hall

The University of North Florida recently announced the groundbreaking of a new Honors Residence Hall on its campus in Jacksonville, Fla., according to a news release. The facility is set to open in fall 2025 and will be the university’s first new residence hall since 2009. The new residence hall will bring the campus’ total number of beds to about 4,300 and is part of a university-wide strategic plan to increase the university’s enrollment to 25,000 students by 2029.

The residence hall will stand four stories and cover almost 165,000 square feet, the news release reports. It will include space for about 520 beds, and features beyond standard living-space amenities include a pathway opening between floors, a kitchen, gathering and study spaces, outdoor basketball and volleyball courts, and administrative space. The university partnered with Hastings+Chivetta Architects for the project's design and Ajax Building Company as general contractor.

“We are excited to begin construction on this important new community for our students,” said UNF President Moez Limayem. “This new residence hall aligns with UNF’s strategic growth and our commitment to create environments that support student success.”

The living-learning community, designed for honors students, was designed to support student development and learning by connecting students with similar interests and passions. The university has already employed the model in more than a dozen other residence halls on-campus; they have “proven to be exceptional environments for students,” according to Hicks Honors College Dean Dr. Jeff Chamberlain.

“The intention is to promote an environment where students have common interests to build a strong academic and social support system in a convenient location,” said Chamberlain.

About the Author

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

Featured

  • ed tech conference calendar

    Upcoming Awards, Events & Webinars

  • Deferred Maintenance Issues Growing at Universities, Gordian Reports

    U.S. colleges and universities are falling increasingly behind on facilities maintenance and repair, according to Gordian’s 13th annual State of Facilities in Higher Education report. The deferred capital renewal burden has reached $156 per gross square foot, an 8% increase over the previous year.

  • Myrtle Grove Elementary

    Phased Construction Keeps Students on Campus During Rebuild

    When Escambia County School District needed to replace most of Myrtle Grove Elementary School in Pensacola, Fla., it had three distinct challenges: honor the school's legacy in the community, bring state-of-the-art learning environments to the county, and be seamlessly built on the same site as the active school campus.

  • Chartwells Launches Campus Dining Evaluation Framework

    Contract food-service management provider Chartwells Higher Education recently announced the launch of BLUEPRINT, according to a news release. The evaluation framework was designed to provide a data-driven and customizable roadmap towards optimizing campus dining services and, by extension, the student experience.