Construction is officially underway on a new student residence on the campus of the University of Windsor.
The six-storey student residence, will be located on Sunset Avenue, between Wyandotte Street West and Union Street and will include 452 beds, including 68 barrier-free beds, distributed across 226 suites with shared bathrooms (2:1 student-to-bathroom ratio), and 12 private residence life suites.
The residence spans 150,000 square feet, offering amenities such as six community lounges, a house lounge, shared laundry facility, and a 275-seat food hall.
Currently, the university accommodates students in three residence buildings: Alumni Hall, Cartier Hall and Laurier Hall. Each year, these buildings welcome between 150 to 350 students, in addition to the thousands residing in private, off-campus rental accommodations.
Gillian Heisz, Vice-president of Finance Operations, University of Windsor says this project addresses the critical need for more housing in Windsor.
"The project will add another 452 beds to our campus here at the University of Windsor. We're really excited to be able to accommodate more of our undergraduate and graduate students both from the area, from across Canada and from across the world."
She says this initiative was made possible through a public-private partnership with Tilbury Capital, a real estate investment and development company that focuses on purpose-built student accommodation.
"They provide the design of the building. They construct the building and they will operate the building on our campus. But the student experience will be seamless. Students who live in the building will not realize the difference between the Tilbury building and our other buildings," she said. "The process for enrolment, registration and the amenities and support that they have from residence life will all be the same."
From L to R: Tilbury Capital Partner Jack Federer, University of Windsor Students’ Alliance President Ghallia Hashem, University of Windsor Vice-President, Finance & Operations Gillian Heisz, Tilbury Capital Partner Michael Kaye, Teeple Architects President Stephen Teeple, University of Windsor Chancellor Mary Jo Haddad, University of Windsor President Robert Gordon and University of Windsor Vice-President, Student Experience Shetina Jones participate in a ceremonial groundbreaking at the future site of the new student residence on the University of Windsor campus. Monday, June 19, 2023. (Photo courtesy of the University of Windsor)
Michael Kaye, Partner, Tilbury Capital says the new residence will be the only one with a dedicated food hall inside.
"That food hall is sized to be able to accommodate more than just the residents in the building, so the expectation is that this will be transforming food and beverage on campus for residents in Alumni Hall and some of the other residences as well."
The new student residence is slated to open just ahead of the Fall 2025 semester.