$118M Mac residence to be built for 2019

A new $118 million multipurpose residence is being built on McMaster University's campus, the school announced today.

Slated for a September 2019 completion, the building will be dedicated to 500 first-year and upper-year students in residence, and will include a wellness centre, accessibility centre and a children's centre daycare, a release said.

Construction on the residence, dubbed "Living Learning Centre," will begin next year. It will be a 12-storey, 359,000 square-foot structure that replaces T-28 and T-29, two temporary classroom buildings at the north end of the main campus, the release said.

Over a third of that building's space will also be dedicated to classrooms and lecture halls, said dean of students Sean Van Koughnett. And in addition, McMaster plans to include dining facilities and one level of underground parking.

The eight floors of residences will mostly be suite style and double rooms with individual washrooms, Koughnett said.

Residence for first-years has been an issue, said Koughnett, as Mac is one of only two universities in Ontario without enough space to guarantee freshmen a spot.

"For Mac (first-year residence living) is not ideal because you aren't guaranteed a spot and you are only guaranteed a spot based on your average," said first-year commuting student Niamh Bryson.

Koughnett said the Living Learning Centre will ensure more spots for students, providing a better student experience.

". . .500 residence beds will go a long way toward meeting the demand for this type of experience," he said.