Upon their return to school this fall, Utah State University (USU) students and faculty noticed a marked change to the scenery. Similar to the flowers, the new buildings on-campus, particularly the Living/Learning Center, were in full bloom.

The project kicked off in 2004 and called on Parsons to design and construct a new six-building complex on the north end of Old Main Hill, near the campus center, just steps away from the Taggart Student Center—the social and academic hub of USU.

Two-story common lounge with flat screen TVs.

As with most universities, USU faces an increased student population and aging existing housing. The new Living/Learning Center accommodates more than 500 students, and includes community areas, dining facilities, and a parking garage. One of USU’s objectives in building the Center was to focus on the fact that USU is not a commuter school. In fact, more than 3,000 of the university’s 14,500 full-time students live in on-campus housing.

Construction of the Living/Learning Center began in July 2004 and included demolition of the old steam plant. In addition, a parking lot north of Haight Alumni House was removed to make room for the new housing centerpiece. At an estimated cost of $40 million, this state-of-the-art facility will be a place where USU students can live, learn, and socialize. The Living/Learning Center’s features include:

Living/Learning Center Suite.

Four-story 612-car parking structure.

Lounge area.

• A 512-bed living and learning community.

• Six buildings, five of which have four floors.

• Cable, wireless internet, and utilities.

• Suite-style design.

• A living room in each suite.

• Private and shared rooms.

• Besides bedrooms, each building will contain community kitchens, quiet individual or group study spaces, and lounges with couches and big-screen TVs.

• A community center in the sixth building with the main office, mail boxes, a larger community space, and kitchen.

• A 612-car parking structure below the Center. The parking structure will be used by housing residents, other students, faculty, and Haight Alumni House visitors.

• Taggart Student Center food service enhancements.

• Computer labs, study rooms, and the university's Leadership House and Honors House.

• A high-security bike storage room.

The Living/Learning Center was intentionally designed not only to provide privacy, but to promote social interaction between roommates and others living in the individual buildings and throughout the USU community. Parsons’ design includes low-maintenance materials, energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, low-water usage plumbing, and green space preservation. Working with USU, Parsons strategically placed all new structures away from existing mature trees and constructed model units in Building A so that USU could prelease some housing units.

Historic Old Main Building.

The new residence halls are a modern version of the Old Main building's Romanesque architecture. The buildings are labeled A through F. Building D houses honors students on the second floor and the Living/Learning Center main office on the first floor. The other five buildings house students in three suites on each floor. Building F houses the university's Leadership House on the first and second floors. Each suite has a living room, two full bathrooms, two two-person vanities, three double rooms, and two single rooms.

Parsons has successfully completed a variety of educational facility projects ranging from K-12 to the university level. In 2001, Parsons—along with teaming members KCB Architecture, Van Boerum and Frank Associates, and Spectrum—completed design and construction of a 372-bed facility on the University of Utah campus. This facility housed students and lodged the 2002 Winter Olympics athletes. That year, Parsons also completed the Shoreline Ridge Apartments on the University of Utah campus. This project included 372 beds with a 2:1 bathroom ratio. In 2004, Parsons completed work for Southern Utah University’s Eccles Living and Learning Center. This Center included 300 beds, a housing office, reception desk, computer lab, resident director apartment, model apartment, conference rooms, a mail center, a TV and game room, and a laundry room.

The new USU Living/Learning Center will be close to the heart of the campus, and it is an excellent example of how campus living and learning enriches the educational experience. By living and learning in the same area, students will have the advantage of immediate access to faculty and staff, a supportive environment tailored to their needs, an understanding of what it means to be a USU student, and exposure to other forms of academic support that the Utah State Community has to offer without ever having to leave the comfort of their college home.

Parsons is proud to assist USU in delivering this critical project to its students. The skill, commitment, and dedication of the Parsons team, together with our familiarity, experience, and appreciation for the educational facility construction process enables us to exceed expectations for quality, value, and delivery.

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