ST. LOUIS—As reported in GlobeSt.com last week, Saint Louis University has just launched a major project to update its portfolio of student housing. And Melinda Carlson, the director of housing and residence life, now tells GlobeSt.com that the big changes instituted by universities in student housing had an impact on officials here and how they made plans for the future.
“We started the process of looking at our housing last November,” Carlson says. “And we really looked at market demand and what our competitors were doing.” The Catholic school requires its 1st year and 2nd year students to live on-campus, and leaders decided their facilities needed an update to fully-reflect the new standards for amenitized housing going up across the US.
“We need to provide a full, residential, educational experience,” she adds, especially since prospective students do consider the quality of a university's housing when choosing a school, even if academics are their primary focus. “I think we're competitive now, but every university goes through cycles,” and SLU needs a few changes. “We're looking at giving our students more individual privacy while boosting community spaces.”
In the first phase, SLU will construct two new residence halls on the Frost campus. The first new residence hall, which will include 550 beds, should open in August 2016. The second, with 470 beds, should open by August 2017. Furthermore, the builders should complete the renovation of the Griesedieck Complex, which includes Walsh and Clemens Halls, by August 2019.
The Griesedieck project is “all conceptual now,” Carlson adds, but the goal is to add communal space and de-densify the existing housing by decreasing the number of beds from the current 920 to about 840. In addition, the school will convert its Water Tower Inn at the Medical Center into housing for graduate students.
An oversight committee that includes student representation will determine the details for Phase 1 — including design, scope and budget. The committee will work in conjunction with SLU's architectural and construction partners, Hastings+Chivetta Architects, Inc., and McCarthy Building Companies, Inc. Construction could begin early as next spring.
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Brian J. Rogal
Brian J. Rogal is a Chicago-based freelance writer with years of experience as an investigative reporter and editor, most notably at The Chicago Reporter, where he concentrated on housing issues. He also has written extensively on alternative energy and the payments card industry for national trade publications.
