HARDIN SELECTED TO BUILD $50 MILLION CAMPUS RESIDENCE HALL

HOUSTON — The University of Houston has selected the Austin, Texas, office of Hardin Construction Co. for a new $50 million undergraduate housing project. The facility, which will be situated on the university’s central campus, will consist of a seven-story, 300,000-square-foot residential building. It will feature 1,172 beds. Resident advisor offices, a social lounge, a computer lab, multi-purpose rooms, a fitness center and a convenience store. Construction will begin this month, with completion expected by the start of the fall 2010 semester. The new facility will accommodate incoming freshmen and is part of the university’s goal to increase the number of students living on-campus. The university eventually plans to house the entire first-year class on campus. According to university officials, this new project marks the first time since 1970 that the university will have a residential building dedicated specifically to freshmen.