The new dormitory proposed for Dayton Street came one step closer to realization Monday as the Joint Southeast Campus Area Committee voted unanimously to recommend approval of the project.
Ogg Hall will be torn down as part of the Southeast Dorms renovations but according to Paul Evans, director of University Housing, the new dorm is tentatively scheduled to keep the name of its predecessor.
\We're encouraged by the support we got tonight,"" Evans said. ""There were a lot of helpful ideas for us to look at.""
Evans also noted that while some students now may dread being assigned to Ogg Hall, students in the future will be hoping to be placed in the state-of-the-art dormitory.
Del Wilson of Uihlein-Wilson Architects said the new Ogg Hall will likely be organized into eight-bed clusters, five of which will make up a 40-person hall. Evans and Wilson noted 40 students to each house fellow is an optimal number for residence living.
Despite a total of 600 beds, the new Ogg Hall is designed as a compromise between the current high-rise atmosphere in Ogg and apartment-style housing that is more conducive to upperclassmen living.
The new dorm will have multiple bathrooms per floor, with each bathroom serving only eight beds.
The building will also enclose a courtyard that developers say will be more open. Wilson reported the new building's material will reflect light into the courtyard.
Evans said the building plan was designed so that first-year students could ""develop community [and] get to know other students.""
According to Wilson, the new plan will increase the amount of green space in the area. Ogg Hall's demolition will provide space for a grassy recreation complex. Plans call for basketball and volleyball courts.
""Gordon Commons will now be the center of a beautiful park instead of in the middle of high-rise buildings,"" said Alan Fish, associate vice chancellor of facilities planning and management.
Plans to renovate Chadbourne Hall are next on the list for proposals to the state and regents, Evans said.
