What looks like Blackwell on the outside but feels like West-Edens Link on the inside?
The about-to-be-constructed dormitory on East Campus.
Officials anticipate that workers will break ground on the new building "very soon" and the dorm should be finished in time to house students by fall 2005, Executive Vice President Tallman Trask said.
The dorm--which will be located to the west of Blackwell in space currently occupied by basketball and tennis courts--will boast 66 double rooms, averaging 220 square feet each and six singles. Two suites for faculty-in-residence and one for a graduate assistant will also be situated in the dorm.
At a price tag of nearly $20 million, the dorms will cost about $7 million more than Randolph and Blackwell dormitories, which were completed in 1995, but is comparable with the per bed cost of the WEL.
"You get what you pay for. Randolph and Blackwell were too cheap," Trask said, adding that the new facility's design takes into account the weaknesses of the other dorms, especially their cramped rooms.
Architectural Resources Cambridge, Inc.--the same firm that designed the Sanford Institute of Public Policy and Randolph and Blackwell--has nearly completed the plans, but small changes are still being made.
The design is similar to that of the two neighboring dorms but includes more non-bed space, architects said. The building was also designed with greater attention to its natural surroundings.
"I think we've tried to maximize all the natural light that we can coming into the rooms," said Katie Archard, the ARC project manager.
In addition to standard amenities, the residence hall will hold a laundry facility, three common rooms, multiple study areas, some classrooms and a small computer cluster. One pedestrian bridge will link the four-floor dorm to the parking area near Brodie Gymnasium; another walkway will connect the new dorm with Randolph.
The most distinguishing characteristic of the dorm will be a large bell tower, which will house the Trinity College bell, an East Campus relic that dates back to 1911.
"It's a nice beacon and milestone for this building," Archard said.
While construction proceeds on the dorm, administrators also intend to re-landscape the vast area between the backyard dorms and Broad Street. Currently, the area is a dimly lit wasteland that makes walking across campus to Ninth Street difficult.
"As part of this project, I want to clean up Broad Street access... and access to Ninth Street," Trask said.
Officials hope the new dorm will help to create a more cohesive corner of East Campus and a better connection between to the Ninth Street area.
The Board of Trustees approved the construction of the fourteenth East Campus dorm last October when they also voted to increase undergraduate enrollment in Pratt School of Engineering by 200 students beginning fall 2005.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.