June 21, 2022<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jim Parsons<\/p>\n\n\n\n With more than 300 programs of study, multiple professional schools and diverse research activities, the University of South Carolina in Columbia has much to offer students and faculty. What the 359-acre urban campus lacks, however, is room to grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Bounded by Columbia\u2019s central business district, residential neighborhoods and the Congaree River, the university must often look inward at infill and site redevelopment opportunities to keep pace with ever-evolving facilities needs and growing enrollment. As a public institution, the school must also strive to maximize its investment in each new building project, from initial construction through long-term operations and maintenance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A convergence zone for these trends can be found at what is the largest construction project in the university\u2019s history\u2014Campus Village, a three-phase, 1.4-million-sq-ft residential learning neighborhood that began construction in May 2021. The $210-million project will ultimately add more than 3,700 beds and amenities in apartment, suite and pod-style living arrangements spread across eight buildings on an 18-acre site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With residential units occupying the upper floors, the buildings\u2019 lower levels will contain amenities such as a 400-student dining commons, classrooms and academic support spaces, a caf\u00e9 and convenience store. Other features include a campus police station and a 200-space transportation hub to accommodate vehicles, increased campus bus shuttle service and access to other parts of campus via the Marion Street Promenade, the University\u2019s primary north-south pedestrian path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Campus Village is also part of a growing trend among colleges and universities of partnering with private developers to expedite delivery of needed facilities. In this case, Charleston, S.C.-based Greystar Real Estate Partners is overseeing the project\u2019s design, construction and some maintenance responsibilities, with costs to be recouped through revenue from student housing fees. The university will own the buildings and provide housing operations and student support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Derek Gruner, the university\u2019s associate vice president of facilities planning, design and construction, says prior experience with P3s gave school leaders confidence that the model could be utilized again, albeit in a hybrid format, to address a severe on-campus housing shortage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cInterest rates were pretty low at the time we were planning Campus Village, so it made sense to fund it ourselves and contract only some aspects to the developer,\u201d Gruner explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What no one counted on, however, was the coronavirus pandemic. Originally scheduled to break ground in May 2020, Campus Village was put on hold, along with the university\u2019s other capital projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe were really unsure what it would all mean to the future of face-to-face, in-class learning,\u201d Gruner recalls. Although trends pointed to a return to normalcy, indications of rising costs for steel and other materials required the school and developer to reprice the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe had to do some value engineering,\u201d Gruner adds, \u201cbut fortunately nothing major.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Given its location adjacent to neighborhoods at the south end of campus, the look and layout of Campus Village had to be carefully scaled so as to transition between the existing campus design standards and nearby residences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe wanted to create durable buildings with a minimum 60- to 80-year life, but with a timeless aesthetic that will still be loved in the future,\u201d Gruner says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In developing the design, the team of Boudreaux Group and WDG drew on existing architecture to create exterior blends of brick masonry with beige architectural cast stone accents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe also wanted to meet the university\u2019s goal of abundant green space, which was a challenge given the number of buildings to be located on a relatively small site,\u201d observes David Wiesendanger, vice president of Columbia, S.C., architect Boudreaux Group. Limiting the buildings to five and six stories, he says, \u201cstruck the perfect balance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Another planning issue was safely carrying out construction on an active campus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe do a lot of work on college campuses throughout the Southeast and know what comes along with that,\u201d says Juneau project manager Alex Hale. \u201cLike other universities, there are quiet hours we have to plan around for exams and studying, and there are events to plan around like football games, move-ins and graduation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The 518,000-sq-ft first phase of Campus Village finally got underway in May 2021 with the demolition of a nine-story residence facility. Hale says the building\u2019s steel was recycled, while its masonry and concrete were crushed into gravel on site and used for temporary construction roads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aside from safeguarding an underground utility tunnel from large equipment loads, the site has posed few challenges. Hale says the project required about 34,000 cu yd of dirt that needed to be moved within the site and an additional 8,000 cu yd of imported fill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe only area that required significant excavation was the basement of one building,\u201d Hale says. \u201cMost of the other building footprints are located on fill areas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Concrete pours for the four buildings totaled approximately 12,000 cu yd, including 94,000 sq ft of cast-in-place slab on grade, 104,000 sq ft of heavy podium slabs, 1,500 linear ft of 14-in. foundation and shear walls. These structures set the stage for installation of prefabricated Prescient wall systems. Weighing approximately 250 lb, the 9-ft tall, 2-ft to 14-ft wide units typically required only a crane and two workers to position and install.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wiesendanger calls the fast pace of installation \u201cphenomenal,\u201d noting how in January of this year, only the building podiums were in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBy early May, all the building frames were in place,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Indeed, Hale says the construction team has made good progress, with the three suite-style buildings and one pod-style building topped out and MEP rough-in and exterior work underway. While the project shares the current industry-wide challenge of supply chain issues, the project team has managed to keep work on track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019ve definitely had to dial in our procurement processes to ensure that we don\u2019t have surprises in the field due to long-lead materials,\u201d Hale says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To ensure Campus Village also proceeds as safely as possible, Juneau Construction and the South Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Administration have established a partnership whereby state inspectors will make frequent site visits to help trade contractors identify and correct potential hazards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That the initial phase of Campus Village is within budget and on track for completion next summer is a credit, Wiesendanger says, to the \u201cfantastic\u201d collaboration between the design and construction teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey helped us understand what we were designing and how things would affect costs while still meeting the university\u2019s goals,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No schedule has been set for the subsequent phases of Campus Village, which call for two suite-style and two apartment-style buildings, which will be sequenced with the demolition of existing 70-year-old housing facilities. Also under consideration for the project is the renovation of the nearby Russell House, one of the university\u2019s existing University Unions, to provide new academic support and student meeting space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gruner says that while the hybrid P3 approach offers a viable option for construction projects, prospective owners would be wise to consider both short- and long-term finances. \u201cNo one should rush in to a P3,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For now, there\u2019s little question that Campus Village is a signature project, for both the University of South Carolina and higher education facilities in general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s getting a lot of attention from beyond our community,\u201d he says, \u201cand it shows what happens when you have a mutual commitment among the parties involved to come together and do something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/boudreauxgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/image-1024x625.png\")
Rendering courtesy Boudreaux and WDG<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/boudreauxgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/image-1.png\")
Rendering courtesy Boudreaux and WDG<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\u201cWe wanted to create durable buildings with a minimum 60- to 80-year life, but with a timeless aesthetic that will still be loved in the future.\u201d<\/strong>
\u2014Derek Gruner, Associate Vice President of Facilities Planning, Design and Construction, University of South Carolina<\/h4>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/boudreauxgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/image-2.png\")
Photo courtesy University of South Carolina<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nCrafting a strategy<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve definitely had to dial in our procurement processes to ensure that we don\u2019t have surprises in the field due to long-lead materials.\u201d<\/strong>
\u2014Alex Hale, Project Manager, Juneau Construction<\/h4>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/boudreauxgroup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/image-3.png\")
Photo courtesy of the University of South Carolina<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nClosing in on completion<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n