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| By Paula Canning Staff Writer SOUTH HADLEY As the college moves forward with design plans, those entering Mount Holyoke College as first-year students may have the opportunity to spend their senior year living in a brand new 72,441 square foot residence hall. Dean of Students Liz Braun explained that the college is working with The S/L/A/M Collaborative, a Boston-based architectural firm, in drawing up plans that will help the college have a better handle on the exact costs of building the new residence hall. The design plans are projected to be completed in the spring of 2006, at which point they will be presented to the college's Board of Trustees for approval, she said. Braun explained that although the facility would house an estimated 200 upperclassmen, making it the largest residential building on campus, the project does not indicate that the college intends to expand its enrollment. "We want to make it clear that we're not looking to grow the size of the college," Braun said. "We are making sure that we have desirable, flexible spaces for our current students." With a student body of about 2,100, Braun said "we're exactly where we want to be." The current design phase of the project follows an estimated two years of conversations exploring the possibility of a new residence hall, according to Braun. She explained that many existing residence halls on campus are currently in need of interior renovations, and building a new hall would provide a "swing space" for students while the renovations are being completed. In addition, Braun said the building would offer students more of a variety in room type, with more suite-style living accommodations that would feature three or four bedrooms surrounding a common room. She said that most of the housing on campus features single or double rooms, along with a few suites for upperclassmen. Although the hall would be the largest on campus and the first new residence hall built since 1967 Braun explained that the residence hall would function as two smaller units in order to facilitate a smaller community experience. "One of the things that we pride ourselves on is offering students a small community experience, and we really want to continue that tradition," she said. According to Braun, the division of the larger residence hall would provide students with "the best of both worlds" a flexible living situation complimented by a small community environment. She explained that in smaller environments, students tends to make stronger connections with other students. "The larger the living situation, the more difficult it becomes for students to form those tight-knit communities," she said. The proposed site for the residence hall is on Morgan Street, adjacent to Pratt Hall, which Braun said could offer students living in the hall some "really nice views of the waterfall end of campus." Braun explained that the goal of the building would be to maintain the architecture style of the rest of the campus. "The overall concept for the building is to create something that fits in with the rest of the campus's traditional look, and at the same time, create something contemporary and exciting for the students," she said. According to Braun, the anticipated date for construction is December of 2006, and students would be able to begin living in the facility in the fall of 2008. Although nothing will be finalized until the Board offers its approval, Braun said, "Hopefully it this project will continue to move forward. We're keeping our fingers crossed." |