Construction will begin June 10 on three new dorms in the Tercero area, with expected completion in fall 2010. The buildings will hold roughly 600 students, and be environmentally sustainable – a first for UC Davis dorms.
The new buildings– named Wall Hall, Campbell Hall and Potter Hall – will hold about 50 students per floor plus a resident advisor in a cluster format, with a common living area so that students can feel a sense of community, said Julianne Nola, project manager.
“We’re able to create spaces that keep that balance of cost efficiency and a learning environment,” Nola said. “Along with giving them a home away from home, giving them an environment that they feel safe in but also provide a learning environment like showing them principles in building design.”
Construction will cost approximately $25 million, coming from Student Housing reserves and Student Housing rates.
“We have benefited from the current favorable construction bid climate and will see substantial savings over our initial estimate of $50 million for the project,” said Emily Galindo, director of Student Housing in an e-mail interview.
This will be phase two of construction; phase one was the construction of the Segundo buildings Miller, Thompson and Alder Halls and Tercero buildings Laben and Kearney Halls.
Phase one dorms in Tercero were built to follow the Leadership Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), which is part of the United States Green Building Council guidelines, but were not officially registered for certification, said Mike Sheehan, associate director of Student Housing. These new dorms however, will be undergoing the certification process.
“We set a goal to reach LEED New Construction gold level. Because of the construction site, we would not be able to reach the platinum level,” Sheehan said.
LEED certification has the levels of basic certification, silver, gold and the highest being platinum.
Though the new dorms will have similar features to phase one dorms, they also have other features that separate them not only in structure, but in environmental sustainability.
“We’re doing a lot more creative things in regard to storm water management on the site,” Sheehan said. “Things like permeable concrete so that water doesn’t go into the drain system and it’s soaked back into the ground. We’re also going to have what’s called preheat solar for our water system.”
The water will be heated through solar panels before it goes into the mechanical room to receive its final heating. Other features include an efficient lighting system, a natural ventilation system and various skylights.
The Castilian dorm area will eventually be decommissioned, though students will be housed there until June 2011. The Segundo dorm area of Malcom, Bixby, Gilmore and Ryerson buildings will also be renovated, Galindo said.
ANGELA RUGGIERO can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.
