Earlier this week, University of Tampa officials announced that the university will be breaking ground on a new residence hall in the midst of recent record-breaking enrollment numbers.
Construction is expected to begin immediately on the currently unnamed residence hall which will sit on the block surrounded by Kennedy Blvd., Brevard St., North A St., and South Blvd. in Downtown Tampa. This new structure will boast 11 stories and a total of 523 beds for University of Tampa undergraduates.
Each unit will work as a suite style residence with four single bedrooms joined by a common living room. The new residence hall will also have a handful of lounges and student gathering spaces including two large community rooms on the top floor overlooking all of Tampa.
The new U.T. residence hall is projected to be built and ready by August of 2013 with an estimated final price tag of $38 million.
This comes as a relief to the university's housing department which has housed a number of students in nearby hotels over the past few years due to overwhelming on-campus living demands. Approximately 65% of the U.T. student body lives in on-campus housing.
In a push for more environmental consciousness across campus, the new residence hall will aim to be Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified with an assortment of solar panels on the roof providing hot water to the building.
If University of Tampa's record enrollment numbers and new residence hall are any indication of the growth of higher education in the area, we're looking at a very bright future for education in Tampa.
