Connecticut Education

Antinozzi Completes New Residence Hall for University of Bridgeport

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University Hall front exterior / Steve Lakatos Photography

Bridgeport, CT – Antinozzi Associates has completed the first new residence hall on the University of Bridgeport campus in several decades. University Hall is a sustainably designed 57,716sf, four-story facility housing students in a variety of modern residential configurations.

In 2006, Antinozzi prepared a feasibility study for the university to convert the original 10-story Schine Residence Hall, built in 1975, from a traditional dormitory plan into a contemporary residential facility.

Four schemes were developed to illustrate a variety of living/learning configurations. Although the schemes successfully transitioned the isolated three- and four-bedroom plans with integrated common study and social interactive areas, cost factors per number of beds needed for future student growth required the university to consider building a new residence hall.

Construction by KBE Construction Company of Farmington began in May 2015 and was completed July 2016 for the start of the 2016-2017 academic year.

“This is a symbolic moment in history and new construction at the University of Bridgeport,” said vice president of facilities, George Estrada.

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University Hall back exterior / Steve Lakatos Photography

To meet these requirements, University Hall is designed to accommodate 231 students in 126 suites and traditional bedrooms units on a .86 acre site. The architectural style complements the University of Bridgeport campus and the surrounding neighborhoods. Steeply pitched hip roofs with wide overhangs shelter a façade comprised of forest green board-and-batten siding and wood shakes. The terra-cotta façade is punctuated by a curved bay window that can be appreciated on the upper three floors. The main floor’s exterior features a latticed front porch similar to the neighboring private homes built during the industrial era of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The design embraces the architectural style of the same historic era suggestive of a resort hotel, similar to those found in Bar Harbor, Maine.

The entrance lobby is decorated in a theme that extends the Victorian flair (with a modern twist) incorporating soft seating, flexible furniture, and televisions to broadcast the university’s current events. University Hall comprises all of today’s amenities, which include a study area, activity room, conference area, three game rooms with adjacent lounge, laundry room, community kitchen, mailroom, and administrative offices. In addition to the traditional double rooms, the residence hall has apartment-style suites containing single bedrooms, private bathrooms, a full living room, and kitchen for both undergraduate and graduate students.

This $17 million project included the demolition of the existing Schine Hall in April 2015 to make room for a 100-space parking lot on the 1.31 acre parcel.

 

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