South Quad Plan and Timeline

Project Overview

Work on Kenyon’s historic South Quad began in the spring and summer of 2022, with the construction of three apartment-style residence halls on South Campus. The new buildings are built to Duke University’s High Performance Building Framework for sustainability and designed to provide students with an exceptional residential experience during a time in which community and personal connection have become more meaningful than ever before. 

Meeting the Needs of Today's Students

The additional campus housing will meet students’ needs with:

• More apartment and suite-style rooms;
• Improved accessibility for ADA compliance;
• Improved common areas for groups and organizations to collaborate and socialize.

The new buildings will include a mix of six-person apartments, featuring two doubles and two singles, and four-person apartments with a double and two singles, or two doubles.

Plans for the much-needed housing reflect student input and meet Kenyon’s long-term sustainability goals to create more inclusive, accessible, and resilient student communities. 

Location

The location of new buildings behind and offset with Old Kenyon was identified in the most recent Campus Master Plan in 2014 (PDF) and key features were reaffirmed in the recent comprehensive housing study. 

Construction Timeline

The following is a broad overview of the planned construction. Please watch for email communications from the project planning and management department for details on road closures, utility service interruptions and transitions to new work/sequences.

June 2022

Ground is broken on the South Quad.

September 2022

Construction of residence hall 1 (northeast, nearest to Leonard Hall) begins.
Projected completion: Late 2024

Spring 2023

Construction of residence hall 2 (northwest, nearest to Hanna Hall) begins.
Projected completion: Summer 2025

Green Building Features

The new residence halls are designed in accordance with the Duke University High Performance Building Framework, sharing many similarities to the U.S. Green Building Council's LEED v4.0 and v4.1 systems. 

Plan highlights include:

• Energy Use and Performance: Lighting control systems, building mechanical control systems, and building envelope performance were prioritized when setting the sustainability goals for these buildings.
• Future Renewables: The buildings are designed with the future in mind, so that they can easily be converted to a large ground source geothermal system or centralized condenser water system. The new residence halls will also connect our privately owned power distribution infrastructure for South Campus and Meadow Lane (Lowry Center, Bolton Theater, Hill Theater, Peirce Hall and Ascension Hall) in preparation for a large-scale solar photovoltaic system in the years to come.