BOSTON — A new residence tower has opened at Boston University. Located at 33 Harry Agganis Way, the 26-story building totals 396,000 square feet. It provides housing for 962 students in apartments and suites, along with 20 resident assistance units and three faculty apartment units. Features of the building include two classrooms, collaborative study spaces, music practice rooms, a video room, student life offices and a multipurpose room on the top floor. Artwork from the College of Fine Arts will also be displayed in the lobby and second-floor gallery spaces.
In designing the new residence tower, project architect Cannon Design made an effort to incorporate numerous sustainable features. The building contains bamboo ceilings and walls at the entry, a reflective roof, low-E coated glass, occupancy sensors for mechanical systems and low-flow water fixtures. The exterior of the building features a terra cotta/metal panel rain screen system that reduces the overall weight of the building façade, also reducing the amount of structural steel needed to support it.
The new residence tower is located within the John Hancock Student Village, a master-planned student activity area that was also designed by Cannon Design. The 10-acre area is situated along the Charles River and will contain 2,300 beds once complete. Other buildings within the village include the Fitness & Recreation Center and Agganis Arena.
In a statement, Boston University Executive Vice President Joseph Mercurio said, “Working with Cannon Design, we have moved rapidly toward meeting our goals effectively and economically, taking full advantage of our unique location along the Charles River. While the building design was developed collaboratively, with a strong commitment to budget goals, the views of the Charles River are priceless. Our students will be the beneficiaries of this attractive living and learning community for many generations to come.”
— Coleman Wood