A new 600-800-bed residence hall with a 300-seat dining facility is set to replace Taft-Van Doren residence halls. The 160,000-square-foot hall has a target completion date of Fall 2029 and is projected to cost $183 million in total.
The addition is in response to increasing enrollment trends at the University, said Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Danita M. Brown Young. She spoke about the construction, which has received preliminary approval, during a Senate Executive Committee meeting Monday.
“We have received the initial approval from Facilities & Services and the Chancellor Capital Review Committee to begin the first phase of the project,” wrote Alma Sealine, executive director of University Housing, in an email to The Daily Illini. “When we have a final design with updated financials, we will then take the project to the Board of Trustees for final approval.”
Currently referred to with a placeholder name of “Residence Hall #4,” University Housing will consider names for the building as the project progresses.
The demolition of Taft-Van Doren Halls will cost $1.5 million, and the new facility will cost $181.5 million, according to Brown Young’s presentation. However, with increasing enrollment, these figures could change.
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“If the size of the incoming class continues at the current rate, the number of beds needed would be closer to 800 and anticipated funds needed would be higher,” the presentation reads.
Last year, the University of Illinois Board of Trustees approved a 5% rate increase for all new housing signees. To help finance the new residence hall, the presentation recommended that prices continue to increase 5-6% per year for the next five years.
Before a date is set for Taft-Van Doren’s demolition, the architect and construction manager contracts need to be finalized before the design process can begin. This process is scheduled to be completed in February or March 2026, per Sealine’s email.
According to a Mithun news update Thursday, it and Goettsch Partners will serve as the two design and architecture partners for the project.
“Mithun will serve as the Lead Design Architect with integrated master planning, programming and interior design services,” the article reads. “Goettsch Partners is leading the overall team and will serve as the Collaborating Design Architect and Architect of Record.”
Brown Young noted that Taft-Van Doren is currently not air-conditioned nor Americans with Disabilities Act compliant, both of which would be addressed in the new housing space. Of the 26 residence halls on campus, only seven are fully ADA accessible.
The development will also have a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification, joining 32 other campus buildings with the designation.
“We’re very excited for this to come on board,” Brown Young said. “We want to work with our academic units as well, so that we can strategically grow our housing and residential experience.”
