The University of Hawai'i at Mānoa has broken ground on a $170 million residence hall for graduate students.
The university says the Residences for Graduate Students at UH Mānoa is scheduled to be completed in fall 2025.
the facility will consist of two buildings (18 stories and 12 stories) with 316 units (studios, two-, three- and four-bedroom units), 558 beds, a childcare facility, retail space, bike storage, study rooms, laundry facility, mail and package room, outdoor amenity decks and on-site management.
It will be built between the East-West Center and the Mānoa stream, across the street from Frear Hall. The facility is being constructed by private partners with external financing and will be privately operated for university students.
After funding for the $170 million facility was secured from investors, construction was cleared to begin. The project is the university's second public-private partnership to build modern student housing facilities on the Mānoa campus using minimal public funds. The first P3 student housing project, the Residences for Innovative Student Entrepreneurs (RISE) at UH Mānoa, opened in August 2023.
For this second P3 project, Collegiate Housing Foundation (CHF), a non-profit tax exempt organization that owns student housing on campuses throughout the country, will be the owner and operator of the Residences for Graduate Students at UH Mānoa.
The University of Hawai'i is providing $8 million for pre-development and pre-construction work, $2 million a year toward rent abatement, and a 45-year property lease. The State of Hawaiʻi School Facilities Authority has contributed $10 million of public funds toward construction of the childcare center housed in the facility.
"This project helps provide quality living spaces and opportunities for students and is a tremendous example of how partnering with other state agencies can address multiple statewide missions," said Kalbert Young, university vice president. "To that end, I am very happy that we were also able to partner with the Hawaiʻi State School Facilities Authority and expand access to preschool for families with young children.”
The childcare center in the facility will be operated by UH Mānoa Children’s Center, which will relocate from its home at Castle Memorial Hall. After the move, it will be able to serve more students—from its present 90 children to about 130 children.
The Residences for Graduate Students at UH Manoa is being designed to meet Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Certification to help the 10-campus system reach its goal of net-zero energy by 2035.
