Undergraduate Housing Construction FAQs

New construction is underway west of Thayer Drive along West Wheelock to build three new residence halls—the Class of 1989 Hall, Shonda Rhimes Hall, and Alumnae Hall—which together will house an additional 404 juniors and seniors in apartment-style housing. This work at 37-39 West Wheelock is in addition to Russo Hall, which is at 25 West Wheelock and will include 285 apartment-style suites, also for juniors and seniors. It's all part of President Sian Leah Beilock's commitment to add a total of 1,000 beds for students, faculty, and staff within a decade. 

Construction for these three residence halls at 37-39 West Wheelock Street is ongoing, and teams have recently concluded the installation of the necessary metal support systems (also known as sheet piles) for safely excavating the foundations for each building. If work of this nature needs to resume, we will provide advance notice. In addition, work continues on Russo Hall at 25 West Wheelock, which is scheduled to open fall 2026. To stay up to date on specific project activities, you can click here to view the 37-39 West Wheelock project page, the Russo Hall project page, or you can reach out to west.wheelock.housing@dartmouth.edu to opt into bi-weekly email updates.

We know this early phase of the project has been loud, and it's because construction teams were installing metal support systems (also known as sheet piles) around the perimeter of the property at 37-39 West Wheelock—work that involved large tools and machinery. This work has now concluded, and if it needs to resume, we will provide advance notice. 

Yes. Our project team is actively monitoring construction to ensure the safety of the work. This includes making sure vibration levels remain within limits that will not damage surrounding properties.

The Town of Hanover allows construction to take place from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Saturday and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Sunday. However, to mitigate disruption to nearby residents, Dartmouth-related construction only takes place between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, with potential for work on select Saturdays. In addition, we further restrict the use of large, noise-generating machinery used to install metal support systems (also known as sheet piles) to Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. While this phase of the work at 37-39 West Wheelock is now concluded, if it needs to resume, we will provide advance notice. 

Our project team has already proactively put work parameters in place to mitigate disruptions as demonstrated by work hours that fall below the Town of Hanover ordinances. In addition, while work involving loud, noise-generating machinery used to install metal support systems (also known as sheet piles) has recently concluded, it is restricted to Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. We also do not schedule the installation of sheet piles during reading or exam periods. In addition, our project team is providing a variety of mitigation tools to students living in nearby residence halls, including noise-canceling headphones, ear plugs, white noise machines, and furniture pads—please reach out to West.Wheelock.Housing@dartmouth.edu to request these items. These strategies will help us mitigate disruption while adhering to our construction schedule—ensuring these three new residence halls can open in the fall of 2028 and provide much-needed housing to juniors and seniors. 

When you need a quieter environment during daytime hours, we recommend you make use of libraries, study rooms, and other campus spaces. In addition, our project team is providing a variety of mitigation tools to students living in nearby residence halls, including noise-canceling headphones, ear plugs, white noise machines, and furniture pads—please reach out to West.Wheelock.Housing@dartmouth.edu to request these items.

The recent construction work at 37-39 West Wheelock that involves loud noise-generating machinery to install metal support systems (also known as sheet piles) has now concluded. If it needs to resume, we will provide advance notice. In addition, Russo Hall is on track to open this fall. General construction will continue at 37-39 West Wheelock, and work will take place between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, with potential for work on select Saturdays. We will provide updates about the status of these projects to all residents through bi-weekly emails and on this website.

While both the Town of Hanover and Dartmouth have established timeframes for construction work, residents may still hear noise not related to construction activities outside of these parameters. This could include emergency vehicles, emergency maintenance work, and seasonal snow removal operations. To see a full list of exemptions, please click here. 

To stay up to date on construction activities taking place at 37-39 West Wheelock, please reach out to west.wheelock.housing@dartmouth.edu to opt into bi-weekly email updates.