PISCATAWAY, NJ-Architecture and engineering firm Fletcher Thompson has partnered with Rutgers on building a $140-million, 648,000-square-foot mixed-use development on the Livingston Campus here. Fletcher will serve as the architect of record, while Baltimore-based consulting design architect, Design Collective, takes over design architect duties.

Located on the periphery of the campus along Joyce Kilmer and Rockefeller Avenues, the project, which is set to break ground this fall, will feature three buildings that integrate student apartments and hold 1,500 beds, study lounges, classrooms and retail space. “This is the largest project that Rutgers has ever undertaken to date,” says Thomas Fantacone, design principal at Fletcher Thompson in charge of college and university projects. “The residence halls establish a new urban edge for the campus.”

Of the 1,500 beds, 200 will be set aside for two-bedroom units, specifically for graduate students. These units will be in a separate wing with its own elevator. The remainder of the beds will be four single-bedroom units. All of the units will be apartment-style with a living room and kitchen. “These are not your traditional dorm-room buildings,” adds Fantacone. “They are designed to attract students who want apartment living.