Click on map of construction zone and pedestrian walkways to enlarge

CORAL GABLES, Fla. (May 18, 2017)—Building 37 is gone, trees are being moved, and fencing is going up around pedestrian walkways that will remain closed as the University embarks on its next transformational project, the construction of the Department of Housing and Residential Life’s Student Housing Village.

Slated to open in Fall 2019, the 500,000-plus-square-foot village designed by Arquitectonica will include 25 connected buildings with five floors of housing for more than 1,100 students and two floors of retail, event, exhibition, and office spaces—all surrounding a grand courtyard with outdoor patios, study spots, and recreational spaces.

Stretching from the southeast corner of Lake Osceola southward to Ponce de Leon Boulevard and westward to Merrick Drive, the project site also includes the demolition of Building 37 and the construction of the School of Architecture’s Thomas P. Murphy Design Studio, which is slated to open next year.

Built in the 1940s and known more recently as Rhodes House, Building 37 initially served as campus apartments for returning World War II veterans who were pursuing their college degrees. It was later used as campus housing for non-veteran students and then converted into office space for University departments.

Made possible by Coastal Construction, headed by Thomas P. Murphy Jr., the design studio will occupy about 20,000 square feet and accommodate 120 architecture students, a state-of-the-art fabrications lab, modern workstations, a lounge, computer lab, presentation areas, and outdoor workspaces and jury area.

The student village is the first part of a three-phase initiative to “inspire, innovate, activate, educate, and differentiate” UM’s campus environment. With apartments and full suites equipped with private kitchen and single or double bedrooms, it is designed to give sophomores, juniors, and seniors a more autonomous but still programmed and supervised option for living on campus.

“Nothing impacts the quality of life for students who live on campus more than their on-campus housing,” says Patricia Whitley, vice president for student affairs. “As the University continues to rise as a top-tier research institution, so do students’ expectations for a comfortable, secure, and supportive living and learning environment.”

After the village is completed, the University plans to replace the Stanford and Hecht Residential Colleges with village housing for first-year student and renovate the Mahoney, Eaton, and Pearson buildings for upper-class students.

Pedestrian walkways affected by the first phase will remain closed for the duration of construction, but walkways around the project will accommodate pedestrians, who are requested to adhere to any posted signage near the area to safely navigate around the construction zone.

For more information, visit New Student Housing.