Bucknell to Construct New West Campus Apartment-style Residence Halls

Bucknell University will construct four new student apartment-style residence halls with enhanced outdoor recreation amenities over the next two years at Bucknell West to replace a complex of residential housing units known as "The Mods," which have housed students for the past 50 years.

The new three-story residence halls will have Bucknell's traditional red brick exterior and will accommodate 70 beds apiece, or 280 students. They will include apartments of varying sizes and configurations with single bedrooms and shared kitchen and bath spaces, similar to Bucknell's South Campus Apartments. Each building will have four student lounge areas and laundry facilities.

The new three-story residence halls will have Bucknell’s traditional red brick exterior. Rendering by Gensler

The buildings are being designed for the inclusion of a geothermal heating and cooling system to advance the University's commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2030. Geothermal systems eliminate the combustion of fossil fuels on site and dramatically lower the need to generate power, significantly reducing the emission of greenhouse gasses and the environmental damage associated with nonrenewable resource extraction.

The quadrangle bordered by the four new buildings will feature an outdoor recreation area that will include a fire pit, amphitheater, pingpong tables, a volleyball court, barbeque grills, and an area for additional yard games and seating.

"These new, apartment-style residence halls should provide students a substantial upgrade from 'The Mods,' which are in need of replacement," says Fritz Family Dean of Students Amy Badal. "Based on student feedback, we have made a greater commitment to outdoor recreation options for students on campus, and the amenities found at these new student housing units represent a model for what we envision across campus moving forward."

Half of the Mods will be demolished following the fall 2022 semester and replaced by the first two residence halls at the start of fall 2023, with the final half being replaced by the final two buildings at the start of fall 2024. Alternate on-campus housing accommodations will be made for students who are displaced by building demolition.

The new buildings will contain modular elements that should reduce the construction schedule by approximately a year, with each facility expected to be ready within eight months.