Eastern Michigan University (EMU), in Ypsilanti, Mich., recently selected Gilbane as a development and builder partner to lead a three-year campus housing initiative that will build two new residence halls, renovate existing campus housing, and demolish outdated buildings.
EMU and Gilbane Development Company have agreed to invest more than $200 million to expand campus housing with the construction of Lakeview Apartments, a 400-bed residence hall adjacent to the school’s Student Center; and Westview Apartments, a 300-bed residence hall that will serve as a gateway between EMU’s west and main campuses.
The University is also investing in the renovation of 2,025 existing beds with improvements that include new air conditioning, new finishes in bathroom areas, and the installation of life-safety technology. Shared amenities spaces and upgrades will facilitate social interaction among residents.
This equity initiative, known as the “Welcome Home 2025” plan, represents an acceleration of infrastructure and facilities investment that has been underway at EMU for several years. “It is now time to turn our attention to a leading student mandate—to revitalize University housing to meet the needs of today’s students,” said EMU’s President James Smith, in a prepared statement.
BENIGN NEGLECT IN HOUSING STOCK
The goals of this plan are to keep student housing affordable, to ensure a high-quality resident life experience, and to get students engaged in the design process. In 2018, the University retained Rieth Jones Advisors to coordinate the Master Plan process, which included surveying students about their interests and demands. In April 2019, the University’s student government approved a resolution that noted the majority of on-campus housing hadn’t been renovated in over 50 years. Last July, the University sent RFPs for the housing construction and renovation to four firms, and its Board of Regents approved the partnership with Gilbane Development Company last December 9.
The project team includes a design-build joint venture between Gilbane Building Company and Clark Construction, with Mackey Mitchell Architects as the project’s AOR and Moody Nolan as associate design architect. Gilbane Development Company is the developer and financing coordinator for the project whose construction is scheduled to begin next fall and be completed by the fall of 2025.
This team has collectively worked on 55 student housing projects that delivered over 60,000 beds during the last 30 years.
BOND FINANCING
However, the University is emphatic that it is not interested in privatizing its student housing. “EMU will continue to own all on-campus student housing facilities,” it states on its website. “EMU will also continue to operate all aspects of the residence life operation, including hiring/supervising RAs, processing housing applications and assigning rooms, collecting payments from students, and managing compliance with housing agreements.”
To pay for this project, the University entered into a ground lease agreement with a 501(c)3 tax-exempt entity that will issue tax-exempt bonds underwritten by Barclays. The nonprofit entity is responsible for servicing the debt. Gilbane and Clark will receive $200-plus million for construction activity, plus $135 million for renovations over the term of the agreement, as well as a property management fee to maintain the facilities.
Related Stories
| Jan 21, 2011
Nothing dinky about these residences for Golden Gophers
The Sydney Hall Student Apartments combines 125 student residences with 15,000 sf of retail space in the University of Minnesota’s historic Dinkytown neighborhood, in Minneapolis.
| Jan 21, 2011
Virginia community college completes LEED Silver science building
The new 60,000-sf science building at John Tyler Community College in Midlothian, Va., just earned LEED Silver, the first facility in the Commonwealth’s community college system to earn this recognition. The facility, designed by Burt Hill with Gilbane Building Co. as construction manager, houses an entire floor of laboratory classrooms, plus a new library, student lounge, and bookstore.
| Jan 20, 2011
Community college to prepare next-gen Homeland Security personnel
The College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, Ill., began work on the Homeland Security Education Center, which will prepare future emergency personnel to tackle terrorist attacks and disasters. The $25 million, 61,100-sf building’s centerpiece will be an immersive interior street lab for urban response simulations.
| Jan 19, 2011
Biomedical research center in Texas to foster scientific collaboration
The new Health and Biomedical Sciences Center at the University of Houston will facilitate interaction between scientists in a 167,000-sf, six-story research facility. The center will bring together researchers from many of the school’s departments to collaborate on interdisciplinary projects. The facility also will feature an ambulatory surgery center for the College of Optometry, the first of its kind for an optometry school. Boston-based firms Shepley Bulfinch and Bailey Architects designed the project.
| Dec 28, 2010
Project of the Week: Community college for next-gen Homeland Security personnel
The College of DuPage, Glen Ellyn, Ill., began work on the Homeland Security Education Center, which will prepare future emergency personnel to tackle terrorist attacks and disasters. The $25 million, 61,100-sf building’s centerpiece will be an immersive interior street lab for urban response simulations.
| Dec 17, 2010
Sam Houston State arts programs expand into new performance center
Theater, music, and dance programs at Sam Houston State University have a new venue in the 101,945-sf, $38.5 million James and Nancy Gaertner Performing Arts Center. WHR Architects, Houston, designed the new center to connect two existing buildings at the Huntsville, Texas, campus.
| Dec 17, 2010
New engineering building goes for net-zero energy
A new $90 million, 250,000-sf classroom and laboratory facility with a 450-seat auditorium for the College of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign is aiming for LEED Platinum.
| Dec 17, 2010
How to Win More University Projects
University architects representing four prominent institutions of higher learning tell how your firm can get the inside track on major projects.
| Nov 23, 2010
The George W. Bush Presidential Center, which will house the former president’s library
The George W. Bush Presidential Center, which will house the former president’s library and museum, plus the Bush Institute, is aiming for LEED Platinum. The 226,565-sf center, located at Southern Methodist University, in Dallas, was designed by architect Robert A.M. Stern and landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh.
| Nov 9, 2010
Just how green is that college campus?
The College Sustainability Report Card 2011 evaluated colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada with the 300 largest endowments—plus 22 others that asked to be included in the GreenReportCard.org study—on nine categories, including climate change, energy use, green building, and investment priorities. More than half (56%) earned a B or better, but 6% got a D. Can you guess which is the greenest of these: UC San Diego, Dickinson College, University of Calgary, and Dartmouth? Hint: The Red Devil has turned green.
