College Park Conceptual Design

About the Project

Dartmouth is engaged in a conceptual design process to inform decisions on whether to proceed with building undergraduate housing for 750 beds in College Park. This design process is part of early project planning. Multiple approvals from both the Town of Hanover and Dartmouth Trustees would be needed, if the conceptual design is approved at the Trustees’ meeting in November.   

Dartmouth’s existing undergraduate residence halls have been at capacity for several years. In addition, many of the older residence halls require extensive renovation to address deferred maintenance and to equalize the quality of residential facilities across campus. Any renovation or renewal project would require closing a current residence hall for at least a year and additional bed space would be required to  provide “swing space” so current capacity can be maintained during a renovation project. Additional capacity is needed, regardless of any future growth in enrollment. 

This conceptual design process defines the scope, scale, impact, and preliminary costs for College Park housing. The College’s conceptual design team has hired Sasaki Architects to conduct site and utility analysis, a land survey, geotechnical studies, focus groups, and other investigative work as needed. Sasaki and its subcontractors will be on campus mid-September - November to gather data and prepare a report for review by the design team, Dartmouth senior leadership and Trustees.

College Park has been, and will continue to be an important site to the College’s constituents and Hanover neighbors. Any proposed design will respect the distinct topography, ecology, and landscape that characterize this space. The map above depicts the proposed building site under consideration in relation to our residential neighbors and the natural spaces to be preserved. 

Upcoming Milestones

  • Mid-September - November 2017: Conduct conceptual design studies and gather information to develop cost estimates.
  • March 2018: Review conceptual design results with Board of Trustees. Subsequent project steps are TBD.