SPOTLIGHT
Opened: August 2019
Architects: Mackey Mitchell Architects
The words often used in conjunction with residence halls such as “community,” “support,” or “togetherness” definitely were not those that were applied to football Hall of Fame defensive tackle “Mean” Joe Greene during his playing days with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Despite his fierce reputation, his name now graces the façade of Joe Greene Hall on the University of North Texas campus. Greene played at North Texas in the late 1960s and is currently a member of the university’s Board of Trustees. A statue of him also sits in front of the campus’s football stadium.
The 500-bed hall houses primarily first-year students across its two wings and five stories. The rooms are grouped into neighborhoods around shared pod-style restrooms. The first floor features a number of community-focused areas such as lounges, recreation spaces, and a community kitchen. Additional study lounges are found on each floor, and there are also music practice rooms. The hall tackled sustainability considerations with a number of LEED features including LED lighting, low-flow water features, and building materials and furniture that come from wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council.
— James A. Baumann