EUGENE, Ore. -- (July 12, 2010) - Celebrating the groundbreaking of the new East Campus Residence Hall today, the University of Oregon is beginning a project that will be only the second new residence hall to be constructed in the past 40 years.

East Campus Residence Hall rendering by ZGF Architects

The project is part of the university's goal to increase the percentage of undergraduates housed on campus from 21 percent to 25 percent and provide for future enrollment increases. The new building will add housing space for approximately 450 students. Currently, UO Housing serves roughly 3,800 students on campus.

The 185,000 sq. ft. facility to be built at 15th Avenue and Moss Street is scheduled to open in Fall 2012. The Oregon State Legislature approved as much as $75 million in Article XI F (1) bonds for the project as the largest higher education project approved during the 2010 special session.

The residence hall project will bring more construction jobs to UO, which is already an active site with construction of the Matthew Knight Arena, Ford Alumni Center and renovation of Gilbert Hall underway. Work is expected to begin in the coming months on the Lewis Integrative Science Building and Allen Hall expansion.

"This facility is important to the future of the university and our efforts to enhance the residential character of campus," said UO President Richard Lariviere. "We're building a community - a campus home that will support academic success and foster lifelong relationships."

Following the Living-Learning Center that opened in 2006, the East Campus Residence Hall will be roomier and more technically advanced for the next generation of university students with wireless access throughout the building. Unlike any other residence hall at UO, the new building will house a resident scholar. The faculty member will live on site and coordinate curriculum in the building. The planned academic lineup includes honors classes, immersion and cultural programs in Mandarin Chinese and Spanish languages, along with other future possibilities.

"Residence halls are much more than sleeping areas and storage for belongings. The East Campus Residence Hall was designed with an eye towards how to best serve not only the future residents of the hall, but the broader campus community," said Robin Holmes, vice president, Student Affairs. "The purposeful integration of curricular and co-curricular activities plays an important role in the educational experience we are striving to create. "

The East Campus Residence Hall will include classrooms that will be scheduled for classes during the day and used for residence hall programming during evenings and weekends. In addition, there will be a full-time librarian available in the Learning Commons area on a schedule more conducive to student study habits.

"Few students operate on a typical 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule, so we plan to have a librarian on staff in the afternoon and evening hours to assist students," said Deb Carver, dean, UO Libraries. "As libraries adapt to changing technology needs, the hours need to be updated as well."

Planning for the construction of the East Campus Residence Hall included focus groups with faculty and students to examine how students study and how faculty assigned work has changed over the years.

According to Holmes, the information influenced the design for the building that will have lounges and study rooms on every floor along with small workrooms available for group work. There will also be a range of social spaces to promote interaction among residents and visitors.

The building also will include a 300-person performance center, espresso bar and food available with seating for 190 people on the ground level.

About the University of Oregon
The University of Oregon is a world-class teaching and research institution and Oregon's flagship public university. The UO is a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), an organization made up of the 63 leading public and private research institutions in the United States and Canada. The University of Oregon is one of only two AAU members in the Pacific Northwest.

Contact: Joe Mosley, UO media relations, 541-346-3606, jmosley@uoregon.edu

Link: Fact sheet details, http://housing.uoregon.edu/ecrh/

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