Residence hall construction marks University of Tennessee's 'historic' new way of building
The University of Tennessee at Knoxville marked a new era of construction on campus when it broke ground on two residence halls March 6.
The dorms fill a need for more beds, thanks to record-breaking enrollment. They also mark the start of UT's use of public-private partnerships to speed up construction on campus and shield the university from risk.
The two dorms, slated to open by fall 2025, are part of at least $1.63 billion of construction in the works on campus.
UT Knoxville Chancellor Donde Plowman said the "historic" partnership paves the way to build new communities on campus that help students thrive while earning degrees.
"In case you haven't heard, everyone in the country wants to come to school here," Plowman said. "And we're proud of that and we're excited about it. And just to be a little bit more specific, we had 59,000 applications this year for 6,900 spots."
UT's public-private partnership with project owner Provident Resources Group and developer RISE is the first of its kind in Tennessee. Provident Resources Group takes on much of the immense cost to build the residence halls, and RISE handles development, construction oversight, property management and facility maintenance.
When the halls are finished, UT will manage residence life, security, information technology, ground services and landscaping.
UT plans to use the public-private agreement with the same partners to build a third residence hall at Lake Loudoun Boulevard by fall 2026. The UT Board of Trustees approved the project at its March 1 meeting, but it needs state approval before construction can begin.
The three residence halls will cost an estimated $371.95 million.
How the new residence halls will change the University of Tennessee campus
Slated to open by fall 2025, the Andy Holt Avenue residence hall will house 788 students and the Caledonia Avenue hall will house 1,166 students. They have not been officially named yet. Combined, they'll cost $229.65 million.
This investment in more student housing comes at a critical time for the university.
More housing on UT Knoxville's campus:
The Andy Holt and Caledonia dorms will house a combined 1,954 students, mostly first- and second-year.
Today, UT has 8,294 beds across 14 residence halls, Vol Condos and the off-campus lease of Lakemoor Station, according to UT's housing website.
Adding the Andy Holt and Caledonia residence halls will bring the total up to 10,248 beds.
The new beds will help fill the gap while UT renovates or redevelops other residence halls, according to UT Knoxville's master plan. UT Vice Chancellor for Student Life Frank Cuevas said UT will construct the Lake Loudoun Boulevard residence hall next, then address future housing renovations outlined in the campus master plan.
UT will conduct feasibility studies on some of the older dormitories to determine if they can be renovated or need to be replaced.
"It's very much fitting in line, so we probably wouldn't be looking at anything till '26 at the earliest," Cuevas said.
The campus master plan outlines projects slated to happen within five years of 2023:
Carrick and Reese residence halls renovation or replacement
Greek housing expansion
Second Creek student housing construction
Within five to 10 years:
Clement Hall redevelopment
Beyond 10 years:
Laurel and Hess residence halls redevelopment
Housing village
New buildings add to the campus skyline:
These residence halls are part of a larger construction overhaul that's changing the campus skyline. The Andy Holt Avenue dorm will replace a gravel lot, and Caledonia Avenue dorm will replace a parking lot.
Other new construction in the works includes buildings for the Haslam College of Business, chemistry department, Croley Nursing Building and more.
Part of a larger parking shakeup:
The Caledonia Avenue residence hall will replace a non-commuter lot during a time when parking has been a hot-button issue on campus. The developer, RISE, will pay UT for taking approximately 310 spaces to build the first two residence halls.
Separately, UT is working with a consultant to evaluate parking on campus and test strategies to help relieve parking issues, Cuevas said. Immediate solutions could include providing more transit services on campus, finding additional surface parking or searching around the campus perimeter for space.
"Those things will provide immediate support as we continue to also look toward planning other garages to be able to increase our capacity as a residential campus," Cuevas said.
Lake Loudoun Boulevard residence hall will be UT Knoxville's next residence hall
After the Andy Holt and Caledonia residence halls, UT and its partners will begin on the residence hall planned along Lake Loudoun and Volunteer boulevards, pending state approval.
The Lake Loudoun Boulevard residence hall will add 1,020 beds for students by fall 2026. The building will include a convenience store on the ground floor. To construct it, RISE, the developer, will pay UT for taking approximately 200 parking spaces in a commuter parking lot between Stokely Hall and Circle Park.
The Lake Loudoun project is estimated to cost $142.3 million.
Keenan Thomas is a higher education reporter. Email [email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter @specialk2real.
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This article originally appeared on Knoxville News Sentinel: University of Tennessee begins construction of two dorms in Knoxville
