• Vandal Village provides 451 beds for graduate students and student families in a 200,000-square-foot apartment community.听
• Gilbane Development and Rocky Mountain Companies led development, with Lydig as contractor and Integrus and Design Collective as architects.听
• The broader housing program includes renovations at Wallace Residence Center and Theophilus Tower, with phased completion scheduled through August 2027.听

MOSCOW, Idaho 鈥� The University of Idaho, Gilbane Development and Rocky Mountain Companies celebrated a ribbon cutting for Vandal Village, a 451-bed apartment community for graduate students and student families.听

The 200,000-square-foot development contains 240 apartments and is part of a larger effort combining new housing construction with renovations to existing campus residence halls.听

Vandal Village allocates 232 beds to graduate students and 219 to married and parenting students. Apartments come furnished and include wireless internet, air conditioning, washers and dryers, and full-size kitchens with dishwashers. The community allows pets and includes a shared center with areas for studying, collaboration and social activities.听

Gilbane Development and Idaho-based Rocky Mountain Companies served as the master developer team. Lydig was the contractor, while Integrus and Design Collective provided architectural services.听

The university鈥檚 identifies the new-construction component as South Hill and describes a wider program addressing both graduate and undergraduate housing needs. 听

At Wallace Residence Center, planned renovations cover 1,056 beds along with lounges, study areas and other common spaces. Work at the 11-story Theophilus Tower encompasses 394 beds, updated shared facilities and study spaces, and the addition of air conditioning to support year-round occupancy. Phased completion of those renovations is scheduled from August 2025 through August 2027.听

The program is financed through university-issued long-term bonds approved by the Idaho State Board of Education. The university will retain responsibility for operating and managing the new and renovated housing, including leasing, residence life staffing and maintenance.听

The university said the upgrades respond to aging housing facilities and growing enrollment, with graduate students and postdoctoral researchers among the groups the university seeks to attract and retain. Sustainability and energy efficiency are stated priorities for new construction and renovations. 听

“Vandal Village underscores our continued dedication to delivering high-quality student housing communities designed for student success,” said听Geoff Eisenacher, Executive Development Director, Gilbane Development, according to a press release from Gilbane.听“We’re proud to have partnered with the University of Idaho to advance their campus housing goals and deliver modern apartments that give graduate students and student families a place that supports how they actually live and study.鈥�听

Brian Foisy, the university鈥檚 Vice President for Finance and Administration, said the apartments reflect an effort to balance long-term campus planning with improvements that students can use now.听

鈥淥ur responsibility is to plan for the university’s future while delivering improvements students can use today. Vandal Village puts that investment into practice, providing furnished apartments for graduate students and families as part of a broader effort to improve campus housing,鈥� Foisy said, according to Gilbane鈥檚 release.听

This article is based on an emailed press release from Gilbane dated Oct. 26, 2026, and information from the .听

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SPOKANE, Wash. 鈥� 听As a university with a strong affiliation to the Presbyterian church, theology is a deeply integrated element of the culture at Whitworth University in Spokane. To demonstrate its importance, a new theology center is currently under construction, to be named the Beeksma Family Theology Center.

The addition of the Beeksma Family Theology Center will make it possible to house the theology department, the Office of Church Engagement as well as the campus ministry all in one building. The addition will be connected to the Seeley G. Mudd Chapel. The hope is that the addition will create 鈥済reater synergy鈥� between the three programs, according to a recent statement from Whitworth University.

The addition of the Beeksma Family Theology Center will add 3,940 square feet to the already 6,000-square-foot facility. Construction began in late March 2018 and is slated for completion in September, with a short six-month construction schedule.

Integrus is the architect on the project, with Bouten Construction serving as the general contractor 鈥� both companies are based in Spokane. The center is being named after two Whitworth Alumni Barney and Joyce Beeksma. The couple donated a gift of $1.5 million toward the project, which has a total budget of $2.8 million.

The new theology center will feature offices for faculty, staff and student employees as well as space for collaboration and gatherings for students. Included in this number is a total of 13 offices in the expansion wing, nine for theology faculty and four offices for the Office of Church Engagement, according to Fred Johnston, project manager at Whitworth University Facilities Services. In addition, renovations on the chapel will provide more seating as well as new and improved audiovisual systems. 听

鈥淭he design elements within these spaces are a balance of openness and privacy, providing visual lines and daylighting, while attempting to minimize distractions due to sound,鈥� said Johnston. 鈥淭he exterior face of the new expansion is also based around the desire to both see, and be seen by, the surrounding campus.鈥� 听

The new theology center will have a number of sustainable features integrated into the design. The building is constructed to Washington State鈥檚 energy code and is designed with durability and longevity in mind, according to Johnston. 鈥淒uring the design process, we attempt to keep in mind that our campus buildings could be in use for 50 to 100 years and plan accordingly,鈥� said Johnston.鈥�

Green elements in the building include water-saving fixtures, LED lighting and lighting controls, and an internal green space and garden for occupant use. In addition, there is a strategic use of glazing to provide occupants with natural daylight while still allowing privacy within offices, according to Johnston.

鈥淭his new addition, as well as renovation, has long been a point of discussion,鈥� said Jerry Sittser, professor of theology at Whitworth University and senior fellow in the Office of Church Engagement, in a recent statement. 鈥淔inally, the time has arrived. We think the space is just right. It鈥檚 full of light, places to gather and wide hallways for conversation. Collaboration is a key principle at Whitworth. The Beeksma Family Theology Center will encourage just that. We are both grateful to the Beeksmas and other donors as well as to the administration for facilitating this expansion, and we are eager to move in.鈥�

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After successfully passing a bond issue in 2013, work began quickly on the nearly $8 million, 66,000-square-foot renovation and expansion project at Elysian K-8 School, which can now accommodate up to 480 students. Plans called for creating an innovative educational environment that would surpass any other in the region, maintaining the school鈥檚 high performance in state standards testing and complementing innovative single-family housing developments located nearby.

Breaking Traditional Barriers

鈥淲e didn鈥檛 want to just add more boxes of classrooms. We wanted to do it right,鈥� stressed Lucas Larson, Elysian K-8 School superintendent at the time of project鈥檚 design and construction.

Larson and his team looked closely at award-winning schools in other states that offered collaborative and flexible learning spaces along with a lot of natural light. 鈥淭he result we achieved fit in very well with what our school board, teachers, staff and community envisioned,鈥� Larson added.

鈥淲e were convinced that our own full view doors would also break down the barriers of a traditional classroom approach, encourage more collaboration among teachers and increase the flexibility of space,”听Larson continued.

The inspiration for the Elysian K-8 School project was based in part on a trip Larson and school board members took to visit one particular school in Washington State. That school was well known for its innovative interior design concept that includes full-view sectional doors with clear panes of glass integrated into the classroom learning environments.

鈥淥nce we witnessed the doors in action, we were convinced that our own full-view doors would also break down the barriers of a traditional classroom approach, encourage more collaboration among teachers and increase the flexibility of space,鈥� Larson said.

Two Architects, One Vision

The Elysian school district determined that local Billings firm A&E Architects was the best choice for the school project. For added expertise on educational interior design, A&E Architects brought in a Seattle-based partner, nationally recognized Integrus Architecture.

Larson explained that the district was comfortable with the progressive insights A&E and Integrus provided as well as both firms鈥� willingness to listen and talk about ideas with a vision that reached beyond the norm.

Working seamlessly, A&E focused on exterior design elements (due especially to the firm鈥檚 familiarity with the local climate), while Integrus concentrated on interior design and classroom layout. Eleven strategically placed Amarr 3552 Heavy-Duty Aluminum Full View Sectional Doors specified by Integrus comprised a critical design element.

Each of the full-view doors features a wide expanse of 1鈦�2-inch-thick clear tempered glass between 2-inch extruded clear anodized aluminum rails and stiles. The ClearView aluminum struts add strength and durability to the doors without restricting the viewing area and allowing the maximum amount of natural light.

鈥淎 considerable amount of planning went into the door locations,鈥� Larson said. 鈥淔or example, there were several middle school classes accustomed to working collaboratively, so it made sense that they would benefit from the increased access between classrooms.鈥�

Larson added that all of the school鈥檚 teachers were highly involved in the overall design process and spent time talking with the architects.

The renovation part of the project centered on Elysian鈥檚 middle school area. Due to a few pre-existing constraints, all six full-view doors in that part of the school are the same size 鈥� 9 feet by 8 feet 鈥� with the exception being one corner classroom which has a 4-foot by 8-foot door. The new elementary section incorporated 12-foot by 8-foot and 9-foot by 8-foot doors in the library. All classrooms with full-view door access still retain standard entry and exit doors.

High-quality Construction

Joining the architectural team and local general contractor Fisher Construction Inc. was Alpha Overhead Door, also of Billings. Alpha Overhead Door鈥檚 General Manager Matt Weber handled the door installation process.

鈥淭he Amarr full-view doors represent our first experience in the school interior environment,鈥� Weber shared. 鈥淭hey play not only an important daily functional role but also provide a really cool industrial look.鈥�

Weber added that the team only encountered a few engineering challenges along the way. 鈥淲e spent some extra effort on a low headroom setup and integrating the doors鈥� track supports into the drop ceiling design,鈥� Weber said. 鈥淲e also modified the cable runs so they aren鈥檛 exposed to the kids in any way that would cause potential safety issues.鈥�

After installation, Weber provided teachers with basic how-to advice on what to look out for when operating the doors with students nearby. When closed, the doors are padlocked so students can鈥檛 open the doors鈥� slide lock mechanisms.

Read more about this project in Part II of this story, available online on June 14.

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