After 19 months of construction and anticipation,Nagel Hall, DU’s newest residence hall, will open Aug. 21 with a public ribbon-cutting ceremony and building tours.
The 150,000-square-foot, five-story building will be an environmentally friendly building with 356 beds.
The new facility provides much needed space and modernizes the University’s housing stock. It was designed to encourage upperclassman to remain on campus, says Mike Furno, associate director of housing operations.
The first three floors of Nagel Hall will house sophomores in four-person suites with two bedrooms and a shared bathroom. The fourth and fifth floors will have apartment units for juniors and seniors. These fully furnished apartments will include a kitchen, living room and four single bedrooms.
“Having a mixture of sophomores, juniors and seniors together helps diversify the campus,” Furno says. “Upperclassmen have experience and a maturity and academic focus that contributes a richness to the campus community.”
Patti Helton, associate provost of Campus Life, agrees. “First and second year students see upperclassman as mentors and will listen to them and learn from them,” she says. “Our residence halls are a cross-section of the community that we have here.”
The building features:
• A ground-floor food court offering quick dining options from early morning until late night
• Multiple lounge spaces and study rooms
• Common-area kitchens throughout the building
• Space for classes and events
• Laundry facilities
• Billiards and video game room
• Outdoor dining plaza
Nagel Hall’s front desk is staffed 24/7 for both service and security, and the building offers electronic card swipe access for apartment and bedroom entry. Upper floors feature expansive views of the mountains, Denver skyline and DU campus.
DU Trustee Ralph Nagel and his wife, Trish, contributed $4 million to spearhead the project, which will cost a total of $39,775,000. Ralph, an accomplished artist, contributed works from his collection to be displayed throughout the building. At his request, a residential room with studio space has been designed for an artist-in-residence program currently being developed in cooperation with the School of Art and Art History.
To lessen the structure’s environmental impact, architects have incorporated an energy efficient heating-and-cooling system, operable windows, a copper roof made of 90 percent recycled materials, low-water-use faucets, dual-flush toilets and low-VOC paint and carpet glues.
The University’s signature structural masonry, which is designed to last well beyond 100 years, was created using regionally sourced bricks. The project’s general contractor, GH Phipps Construction, recycled the construction debris, diverting up to 75 percent from landfills.
The University has submitted the project to the U.S. Green Building Council for consideration for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification.
The new facility completes the revitalization of the west side of the University Park campus, joining other recent building additions, including Nelson Hall, a residence hall; Craig Hall, the home of the Graduate School of Social Work; and the School of Hotel, Restaurant and Tourism Management building.
University Architect Mark Rodgers took care to design a building that not only fits into the surrounding physical landscape, but also serves as an open, central point of activity on campus.
“Nagel Hall is meant to be a building like Grand Central Station — a crossing point of campus,” he says. “It’s designed to be much more than a place where people sleep.”
In addition to students, Nagel Hall also will house academic research space, offices and classrooms for the department of psychology and classrooms for the Center for Teaching and Learning.
“So much learning happens in between class,” says Rodgers. “A university is built around the premise that better, more effective learning happens when students, faculty and staff interact.”
Resident advisers will move in to Nagel Hall on Aug. 16. A building dedication ceremony and building tours will take place on at 3 p.m. on Aug. 21.