STARKVILLE, Miss. 鈥� Mississippi State University (MSU) recently celebrating the topping out of Azalea Hall, the campus鈥� new five-story multipurpose building and its largest single building project to date. The milestone signifies that the hall鈥檚 building has reached its highest point, marking an important step in the construction process. 听

The $96 million hall, scheduled to open in time for the fall 2025 semester, will feature spaces for living, collaborating, studying and safety. The 159,000-square-foot facility will sit adjacent to the campus鈥� Old Main Academic Center in the heart of campus, expanding student access to indispensable services.听

鈥淭his project focuses on today鈥檚 college students鈥� needs and wants鈥攖o engage with one another, have more privacy and ignite their academic and social well-being,鈥� said Dei Allard, MSU Housing and Residence Life executive director, in a statement. 鈥淭he design provides optimal opportunities for student engagement and collaboration with one another, as well as the MSU community.鈥� 听

More than 400 beds across single-room, pod-style housing units will be available to students. Azalea Hall residents will have access to shared bathrooms as well as common areas and amenities, including a social area and dining quarters on the first floor. Meeting spaces and classrooms on the ground level will double as FEMA-rated storm shelters to keep students and staff safe during inclement weather and potential natural disasters. 听

The indoor-outdoor dining area will offer a plethora of cuisine options as part of MSU鈥檚 updated vision for food services. Culinary choices will rotate throughout the year alongside food lockers and a marketplace for quick food pick up.听

鈥淏ringing a dining venue to this area has long been a priority,鈥� said Regina Hyatt, vice president for Student Affairs, in a statement. 鈥淥ur new dining venue will not only provide easy access for our students, but it will also be a place where visitors and MSU employees can grab a meal.鈥� 听

The residence hall will also host a living and learning community specifically for MSU鈥檚 Luckyday Scholars, a scholarship and community-building program for first-year students. The dedicated areas will include recreation and study areas, classrooms with adaptable seating and tables, a kitchenette and office space for the Luckyday Scholars director and program staff. The addition was made possible through a $4 million donation for Azalea Hall from the Luckyday Foundation of Jackson, Miss. 听

鈥淲e believe that having a dedicated space for Luckyday Scholars to hold classes, meetings, conversations and visits with Luckyday program staff is beneficial,鈥� said Jamie Houston, Luckyday Foundation board chair, in a statement.听鈥淎 supportive, collaborative community is a core value of our program, and our freshman scholars will now be able to live together with the Luckyday Tower easily accessible.鈥�听

Construction management for Azalea Hall is being led by Birmingham, Ala.-based HPM, with Gulfport, Miss.,-based Roy Anderson Corp. as the project builder. Jacksonville-based Wier Boerner Allin Architecture served as the lead architect alongside consulting architect Mackey Mitchell Architects of St. Louis. Tipton Associates of Baton Rouge, La., led design of the dining area. 听

With construction underway across vital parts of campus, the build team has worked with MSU to coordinate safety, logistics of material imports and alternate routes for students.听

鈥淲e have collaborated closely with our university partners to meet all deadlines throughout the construction of Azalea Hall, ensuring this project is ready in time for the next school year,鈥� said听P.J. Pearson, project manager at HPM, in a statement. 鈥淲e are thankful for our reliable contractors and for our invaluable partnership with Mississippi State in making every stage of this project progress smoothly.鈥�听

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Memphis, Tenn.-based Education and Realty Trust () 鈥� a collegiate housing management and development firm 鈥� has partnered with MSU on the project. The official decision and announcement was made on Feb. 15 when the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning made the decision and public announcement to move forward on the project. The multi-use development will be dubbed, 鈥淐ollege View.鈥�

McCarty Architects of Tupelo, Miss., and Hanbury Architects of Norfolk, Va,. have been chosen for the project, with Montgomery Martin Contractors of Memphis, Tenn., serving as the general contractor. The commencement of construction came after an extensive feasibility study was conducted by MSU and EdR.

The budget for the project is $67 million, with plans for EdR to finance, build and manage the College View development using a 40-year lease of university land with a 10-year renewal option. The development will be financed through EdR’s innovative on-campus equity plan, The ONE Plan. The ONE Plan uses the company’s equity and financial stability to fund projects on university land. This program gives the university access to a single trusted partner, and helps create substantial long-term financial benefits for EdR and its partner university. MSU will receive a portion of revenue as ground lease payment.

“We are honored to start this development that will positively impact both Mississippi State and the overall community of Starkville,” said  Randy Churchey, CEO at EdR, in a recent statement. “We have consistently seen that new on-campus housing developed by EdR helps our partner universities to increase enrollment, improve retention and generate a stronger sense of community and engagement with the campus.”

The approximately 34-acre parcel of land is located on the northwestern edge of campus, in the previous location of the Aiken Village apartments prior to their recent demolition. Plans for the project call for the construction of a multi-phased development that will include 656 residential beds for upperclassmen in Phase I, with completion of the project expected in fall 2019.

In addition, College View will feature 46,000 square feet of retail and commercial space, recreational amenities, an outdoor entertainment zone, a 7,000-square-foot day care center and parking. There may be further phases to the project in the future, but they will not be determined until further market analysis has been conducted and the current phase is further underway.

“We believe that our partnership with EdR will help us meet the needs of our students, and College View will also become a destination for members of the community, alumni and other visitors to Starkville and Mississippi State,” said Mark E. Keenum, president of MSU, in a recent statement. “I appreciate the support of the Board of Trustees as we have worked steadily over the past three years to bring this first-of-its kind project to a Mississippi university campus.”

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