The North Residential District Transformation at The Ohio State University is a new 3,200-bed student housing complex. The project supports OSU in realizing its Second-year Transformational Experience Program while making the North Residential District an excellent place for students to live and learn. The complex also supports efforts to ensure all sophomores live on campus. An extensive overhaul of existing residence halls was needed to accommodate the thousands of additional on-campus students beginning in 2016. The project includes ten new residential buildings, two new dining centers, a new fitness center, and low-rise additions to each of the three existing towers in the district. The $370 million project added 1.14 million SF of space to the district on the north side of campus.
The project had a very aggressive schedule, with design work beginning in Fall 2014 and final construction being complete in Summer 2016. The project was Ohio's most significant public design-build since the state approved the construction delivery method in 2011. The project benefited from the Design/Build delivery method by allowing the designers and contractors to collaborate from the beginning of the project. This allowed for early construction efficiencies to be identified, resulting in a faster construction schedule and lower costs to the University.
The structure for eight of the ten new buildings is a concrete frame. These structures use two-way concrete slabs, concrete shear walls for the lateral load-resisting system, and concrete columns that are square or rectangular to coordinate with floor plan requirements. The concrete system was developed closely with the Design/Build contractor to maximize efficiency and cost savings. The remaining two new buildings and the tower additions are framed using conventional structural steel. The foundation system uses conventional shallow foundations.
