Name: Williams Village East
Opened: August 2019
Architects: KWK Architects
The University of Colorado Boulder opened its newest residence hall, Williams Village East, in August 2019, adding 705 undergraduate student beds. The 178,000-square-foot building houses students in traditional double and single rooms, with two- and four-person suites throughout. There are also pod-style community restrooms to provide additional student privacy.
Built with sustainability in mind, the hall is projected to become a LEED Platinum building. It is equipped with electromagnetic windows that automatically dim as the sun intensifies, skylights that allow for ample natural lighting, window sensors that automatically shut off HVAC units when opened, and low-flow faucets to reduce overall water consumption. There is a pond that uses ditch water from snowmelt to supply the campus, saving 13 million gallons of water per year.
Williams Village East has large, open lobby spaces and multistory study lounges that interconnect two floors. These features foster community while providing study and social spaces for students. Capitalizing on the social aspects of the design, the building also has an area dedicated to e-sports and online gaming. The first-floor space features a large, wall-mounted television hooked up to a Sony PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch, plus an area with other traditional recreational games such as ping pong and pool.
— James A. Baumann
CALL FOR SPOTLIGHTS
We want to see your new residence halls. Please contact us at talkingstick@acuho-i.org.