The George Washington University debuted three buildings in the last two years to enhance research, teaching and learning—Science and Engineering Hall, the Milken Institute School of Public Health and the George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum.
Up next for an unveiling is District House, the university’s second largest residence hall.
The 12-story building incorporates and expands the existing Crawford, West End and Schenley residence halls. When completed, District House will have suite-style housing for affinity groups, two floors dedicated to student space, two bike rooms and five retail spaces.
District House is slated to open fall 2016.
Executive Director of GW Housing and Financial Services Seth Weinshel has been leading tours of District House with selected groups of students, faculty and staff following the building’s “topping out”—or completion of its highest point—in May.
“The reaction to the model rooms and other spaces during tours has really reaffirmed that our design choices for District House will meet the needs of the university community,” Mr. Weinshel said.
The building is outfitted with LED lights instead of fluorescent lights, and a “soothing” color palette was adopted to give it a homey feel, according to Mr. Weinshel.
Each floor also features a muted and brighter hue of one of four colors—blue, green, yellow and orange. The colors are woven throughout the design of each floor.
The tours offer a first look at student rooms, which include in-room bathrooms, communal space and soft-closing white drawers and cabinets in the kitchen. The limited affinity housing includes spacious shared space and a view of Kogan Plaza.
Residence Hall Association President Michael Massaroli said that the tours showcased the “exciting direction” of GW’s on-campus housing.
“RHA has been working with administrators, GW Housing and the Division of Operations to ensure that residents have the best experience possible once the building is open,” Mr. Massaroli said. “We've had the opportunity to give feedback on everything from furniture options in individual rooms to the affinity group spaces.”
GW launched a seven-year renovation cycle for existing residence halls during summer 2014. Renovations of Dakota Hall, International House and City Hall are underway and include preventative maintenance and repairs.
To follow updates on the completion of District House visit www.living.gwu.edu/residence-hall-construction-renovations.
For GW Residence Hall Association updates visit www.gwrha.com.