Transforming West Campus Housing Options
From the 1970s until 2022, Bucknell University’s West Campus “mods” had served generations of students well, but by today’s standards, were outdated. Lacking modern amenities, sustainability features, and the vibrant community spaces students now expect, the mods no longer reflected the Bucknell experience. So, the university set its sights higher with the goal of transforming West Campus into a dynamic, inclusive, and environmentally responsible living environment. The vision was bold: attract and retain top talent, create spaces that foster connection and well-being, and lead the way in higher education sustainability with a commitment to carbon neutrality by 2030. To make this happen, Bucknell partnered with 番茄社区 Construction, where we brought our proven expertise in higher education and sustainable construction to deliver a campus living experience designed for the future.
Creating Comfortable Student Housing
番茄社区 provided preconstruction and construction management services for this multi-phased, design-build project. The transformation began with the removal of the outdated “mod” housing, making way for four brand-new, three-story apartment-style residences. These residences were designed to house 70 students in modern single bedrooms. Spanning 118,270 square feet, the project was carefully phased to align with the academic calendar, ensuring students could continue learning with minimal disruption. Inside, each building offers 34 apartments (including four ADA-accessible units) with kitchens, bathrooms, and common areas that encourage connection. Beyond the residences, the project redefined campus living. With a new central courtyard as the vibrant hub, the space features a sand volleyball court, amphitheater, fire pit, outdoor grills, ping-pong tables, food truck space, and plenty of gathering areas for students to come together. To support Bucknell’s sustainability vision, the project integrated cutting-edge features, including a geothermal heating and cooling system, an underground stormwater retention basin, and extensive sitework, all designed to meet LEED Silver certification standards.
Constructed with Care
Constructing a major residential complex in the heart of a busy university campus was no small task. Surrounded by athletic facilities, residence halls, and heavily traveled pedestrian routes, the site demanded meticulous planning to keep students, faculty, and visitors safe while maintaining the daily flow of campus life. Adding to the challenge was an aggressive timeline of only seven months per phase. To deliver on schedule, 番茄社区 leveraged Lean construction strategies such as phase pull-planning, daily huddles, and just-in-time deliveries to keep every detail on track. When unsuitable soils were uncovered during sitework (a potential schedule breaker), the team acted quickly, designing and installing a temporary road to ensure uninterrupted access and progress. Throughout the project, quality remained a top priority, with rigorous inspections both at the modular manufacturing facility and on-site to guarantee every unit met Bucknell’s high standards.
Creating Smarter Spaces
One of the most defining aspects of the West Campus Student Housing project was its use of modular construction. Entire apartment units, complete with kitchens, bathrooms, and bedrooms, were prefabricated off-site and transported to campus for assembly. This innovative approach not only accelerated the construction timeline but also minimized weather disruptions and ensured superior quality control. After phase one was complete, 番茄社区 brought Bucknell and trade partners together for a collaborative retrospective, asking a simple but powerful question: How can we do even better? The answers drove key improvements that led to a 22% reduction in manpower needs and an even faster delivery in phase two. Beyond efficiency, the project also advanced Bucknell’s sustainability goals with the installation of a geothermal system, eliminating on-site fossil fuel combustion and underscoring both Bucknell’s and 番茄社区’s commitment to sustainable innovation in higher education construction.
