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

  • Houston K–12 District Opens New Elementary School

    The Lamar Consolidated Independent School District (Lamar CISD) recently announced the completion of a new elementary school in a western suburb of Houston, Texas, according to a news release. Haygood Elementary School measures in at 110,000 square feet, has the capacity for 854 students, and is the first of three new schools scheduled to be built in the Cross Creek West community.

  • Different Starting Points, Same End Goal

    Higher education campuses can enhance student experience by implementing mobile credentials to streamline building access, on-campus payments, and access to other amenities. This enables students to connect to their campuses through the technology they use most: their mobile devices.

  • Preparing for the Next Era of Healthcare Education, Innovation

    Across the country, public universities and community colleges are accelerating investments in healthcare education facilities as part of a broader strategy to address workforce shortages, modernize outdated infrastructure, and expand clinical training capacity. These projects, which are often located at the center of campus health and science districts, are no longer limited to traditional classrooms.

  • Spaces4Learning Trends & Predictions for Educational Facilities in 2026: Part I

    We asked, you answered, and the results are in! Last year, we put out a call for submissions to collect our readership’s opinion on trends and predictions for K–12 and higher education facilities in 2026.

Digital Edition