The idea that a college dorm is simply a place to bed down has been given the boot. With major renovation projects comes the chance to transform the bunkhouses of yore into complete live/learn communities of today, delivering all the mod-cons that students can buy with their housing dollars.
This spring the University of Michigan is starting on a $56 million renovation of the 1949-era Alice Lloyd residence hall, according to documents from the university's Board of Regents. The retooled 176,000-square-foot property, where approximately 560 students live, will include rooms for music and dance practice, an art studio, and gathering areas. The former dining hall and kitchen (students now eat in the communal Hill Dining Center) will be repurposed, and student rooms and bathrooms are set for a makeover. Included in the laundry list of items are new HVAC systems, insulation, plumbing, fire detection and suppression systems, and Wi-Fi. Work should be done in time for the 2012 fall term.
Representatives from U-M and from Troy, Mich.-based architectural firm
Integrated Design Solutions, which did the schematic design, declined to comment.
The planned new face of Alice Lloyd can be likened, albeit on a much smaller scale, to the university's new $175 million
North Quadrangle Residential and Academic Complex, which opened in fall 2010. In addition to dorm space for 450 students, it houses academic offices, multi-cultural learning communities, and a TV production studio. North Quad will be hosting a public open house on March 31.
Source: University of Michigan Board of RegentsWriter: Tanya Muzumdar
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