Pitt-Bradford to Build New Residence Hall
Earlier this month, the University of Pittsburgh Board of Trustees’ property and facilities committee approved the project, which is expected to be approved by the full board on Friday.
The 40,120-square-foot, three-story residence hall will be located on the side of the lawn in front of Hanley Library nearest to Blaisdell Hall.
“This will be the fourth residence hall we’ve built in 8 years,” noted University President Dr. Livingston Alexander. “This rate of campus construction reflects not only the growth in our student population, but also its changing profile. Since more of our students are coming to us from distant locations, more of our students now require on-campus accommodations. We’re very grateful to the Board of Trustees for their recognition of our growing need for new student housing.”
The additional rooms should be ready in August 2014 and eliminate the need for Pitt-Bradford to house some of its students in a local hotel, as it did this fall. The new hall will bring Pitt-Bradford’s on-campus beds to 1,047.
The new residence hall will be similar to those built since 2005, Reed-Coit, Fesenmyer and Dorn houses, with two- and three-bedroom suites with two full bathrooms, living rooms, kitchenettes and storage closets.
Because the new residence hall will be placed near the campus entrance, however, it will include a more elaborate façade on the three sides facing the entrance, the Hanley lawn and the Campus Drive loop.
As with the construction of Dorn House in 2010, construction will take place through the winter with custom framing being built off-site and brought in by truck.
Mascaro Construction of Pittsburgh is the construction management firm in charge of the site, which also includes the addition of 65 new parking spaces in the existing parking lot across Dorothy Lane from the university’s Hangar Building.
An additional laundry facility was built in the Ceramics Building last year to provide more washers and dryers for students living on campus. In spring 2014, the campus will conduct a survey of its dining facilities. Already, the campus has provided continuous dining for students on the meal plan in order to alleviate crowding in the KOA Dining Hall.
Pictured, the architect’s rendition of Pitt-Bradford’s newest residence hall, which is scheduled to open in August 2014. The university expects to break ground next week on the hall, which was designed by MacLachlan, Cornelius and Filoni architects. The rendering shows the south face of the building looking onto the Campus Drive loop.
Provided by Pitt-Bradford
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