Construction on a third dorm at
Lawrence Technological University in Southfield begins this spring, making room for the growing number of students coming for the education and the campus life.
The 47,545-square-foot, two-story building will house 160 students and face Lawrence Tech's largest parking lot. The building will also house university mechanical systems and storage in a 4,000-square-foot basement .
The $11.6-million project is an investment in students and in a changing university that is less of a commuter school as more fraternity life, varsity sports, student activities and other aspects of campus life are making on-campus living more attractive.
The new residence hall will be ready for move-in for the fall 2015 semester, and it will be arranged in five pods of 16 double-occupancy units. Each pod will have its own lounge, fireplace and kitchenette. There will be dorm cafe and retail spaces as well as game rooms and meeting rooms and laundry facilities.
“The building is designed to encourage students to be out of their rooms with plenty of space for interaction and collaboration. One of the goals is to get new students involved in campus life by fostering collegiality on a regular basis,” LTU President Virinder Moudgil says.
Two residence halls, North, which opened in 1977, and South, which opened in 2002, have room for 600 students.
LTU was largely a commuter school until 1977, says spokesman Eric Pope, and it's slowly turned less so since. Students from 32 states and 46 countries attend LTU, and Michigan residents make up 66 percent of all students.
Source: Eric Pope, managing editor, University New Bureau, Lawrence Technological University
Writer: Kim North Shine
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