Opened: August 2021Architects: CSO and JRA Architects
The student housing transformation has begun on the University of Louisville’s Belknap Campus. The Belknap Residence Hall not only modernizes the University of Louisville campus (it is the first new residence hall in 31 years), but it also brings a new Cultural and Equity Center along with it. The hall’s uniqueness is further defined by the materials used to build it. “This is a unique structure called insulated concrete form or ICF for short,” says director of housing Tom Hardy. “It is not the cheapest option, which is wood frame/stick-built that is removed after year 20-30. Instead, this is built to last 50-70 years and has properties conducive to multi-use. Most of the walls are not load-bearing, meaning renovations are easily done years from now. This was intentional. It is in the heart of our campus and needs to stand the test of time.”
Belknap opened with full occupancy (450) as students made their way back to campus in August. It is intended to house first-year students and offers traditional-style single and double rooms. It is five stories high with dividable state-of-the-art classrooms on the first floor, which will provide space for five living-learning communities within the hall and several others on campus. Residents will also enjoy private study rooms, a game room with a kitchen, and lounges on each floor.
“What was once a parking lot now is a facility that will build lifelong learners, critical thinkers, engaged citizens, and a community of care,” says Hardy. A second residence hall is coming in phase two of this project and will open in August 2022. “It is a showpiece,” he says. “No longer are our freshman traditional halls dated and filled with past memories. Now they are microcosms of what the academic environment is meant to be.”
— Camille Perlman