Construction expands student center, builds new residence halls

Miami University students can look forward to several new building projects and renovations wrapping up over the end of this semester and the beginning of the next, including Armstrong's east wing, Western Campus's bridge, the renovations at Clawson and Hamilton Hall and the construction of two new residence halls on North Quad.

Armstrong's east wing is scheduled to open after the end of this semester, while Clawson and Hamilton halls are scheduled to reopen this fall after closing for renovation. The Western Campus bridge that has been closed for reconstruction is scheduled to reopen by this April.

The construction of the new residence halls are planned to be finished and open for the incoming freshman and sophomores in the fall of 2018. The residence halls will have a combined capacity of 610 students. The site of Withrow court will be named Withrow Hall and the other residence hall is still currently unnamed.

The university is completing these projects in order to meet student's quality expectations, remain competitive in the higher education marketplace and meet the needs of Miami's enrollment projections, said senior project manager Ted Christian.

Attaining LEED certifications for the new residence halls is one of of the university's goals toward sustainability in building and landscape. LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is a third-party organization that verifies if a building is resource efficient and gives a rating based on how it achieved efficiency.

"We're hoping to attain a LEED silver certification, but it is always difficult to tell until we actually are awarded it," said David Creamer, senior vice president of finance and business services.

Both new buildings are concrete frames with Miami-blend brick facades and clay tile roofs, matching the other residence halls on the North and East Quads. Withrow Hall will feature a new cupola and exterior stone detailing that was salvaged from Withrow court and is also planned to feature a Starbucks coffee shop with an outside patio as well, making it the fourth Starbucks in Oxford.

The total cost of the new residence halls is $75.5 million.

The east wing of the Armstrong Student Center is set to be completed and open after the end of this semester. The east wing, formally Culler Hall, will host the Career Services office, additional meeting rooms and more student facilities.

"Parking is always a challenge, but the new residence halls will have more convenient parking with nearby parking lots," said Creamer, referring to nearby parking lots in North Quad.

The tennis courts will be reconstructed just north of the hockey field near Yager Stadium in order to make room for the new residence hall.

"Western Campus's geothermal plant will also be adding 400 wells to cover more of Western's buildings," said Cody Powell, associate vice president of facilities planning and operations.

Enjoy what you're reading?
Signup for our newsletter

This will bring the total number of geothermal wells on campus to 700 and will cover Presser, Hoyt, Havighurst, Clawson and the Early Childhood Development Center.

Several other buildings will undergo renovations in the upcoming years as well. Pearson Hall is slated to begin renovations soon which will be completed in 2019. These renovations are aimed mainly at updating the labs and modernizing the building in accordance with Miami's sustainability goals.