Florida Atlantic University Boca Campus Student Housing
Boca Raton, FLLocated in the heart of Florida Atlantic University’s Boca Raton campus, the new 616-bed, 7-story, 185,920 SF student housing facility replaces the 94-bed Algonquin Hall, which was originally built in 1965. The project features two- and four-bedroom style units. The concrete structure houses 183 units with a total of 616 beds. The ground floor features common space with a kitchen accessible to all dormitory residents and an academic advising, learning and career center called the Get Wise Facility, which is accessible to all University students. The project also includes study lounges and laundry facilities.
During each phase of construction, Weitz complete an internal quality control inspection before work starts to test for compatibility, adhesion, and drawing/spec alignment. As a standard on all Weitz student housing projects, a waterproofing consultant also conducted inspections to review the contract documents as well as the envelope mock-up. This also included testing installed windows at random to make sure they did not leak. By involving a waterproofing consultant, suggestions were made to the design team that resulted in a more sound envelope to avoid maintenance issues in the future. Inspecting the work as it is constructed minimizes the need for rework, which saves time and money.
A design feature of this project is the exposed ceilings in the lobby and through a majority of the common space areas. Utilizing a BIM model, the project team was able to work closely with the project architect and trade subcontractors to achieve the maximum ceiling heights without compromising the space for MEP and ductwork. The BIM model will be used throughout the buildout process to turn over an accurate as-built model for FAU Facilities to utilize in the future.