Students will move into North Hall this weekend, the first new residence hall on Main Campus since 2014. The seven-story building has 420 beds, most of them in four-person suites with two double bedrooms, a shared living room and a private bathroom.
The ground floor includes a 24-hour study commons, a demonstration kitchen, four group study rooms and a mail center. Each floor has a laundry room and a lounge overlooking the North Lawn.
Built to use less
North Hall was designed to use about 40 percent less energy than the university's older residence halls. Rooftop solar panels are expected to supply about a fifth of the building's electricity. Heating and cooling come from a geothermal system of 96 wells drilled under the neighboring parking lot, and windows in each room open for fresh air.
Each suite has its own electricity meter, and residents can check their use on a dashboard in the lobby. Residence Life plans to run an energy competition between floors in October.
Who lives there
This year, North Hall will house 310 second-year students and 110 first-year students in the Engineering and Innovation living community. Rates are the same as other suite-style halls. The opening allowed the university to end temporary overflow housing downtown, used during the past two years of record enrollment. More details are on the housing page.
Move-in for North Hall runs Friday through Sunday, with staggered time slots to reduce traffic. Volunteers from athletics teams and student organizations will help carry belongings.
