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JENNIFER BAGGETT CONTRIBUTING WRITER <strong>The</strong> new Julia Tutwiler Hall is now in its third iteration. Initial construction began in June 2019 after years of planning, and the hall was completed in time for the first round of early move-in on <strong>Aug</strong>. 3. Room selection has already been completed, with 100% occupancy for the new spaces according to Matthew Kerch, executive director of housing and residential communities. <strong>The</strong> new residence hall accommodates 1,284 students in two-person rooms. <strong>The</strong> rooms feature private bathrooms. <strong>The</strong> new occupancy equals the number of beds previously available in the old Tutwiler Hall and Harris Hall. <strong>The</strong> previous Tutwiler Hall was demolished on July 4 and Harris Hall demolition began earlier this summer. Resident rooms are single occupancy for resident advisors and double occupancy for students. Individual desks, closet space, storage, and lockable A hallway in Tutwiler Hall. CW / David Gray THE NEW JULIA TUTWILER HALL <strong>The</strong> outside of the new Julia Tutwiler Hall. CW / David Gray desks are available in each room. Each room also includes a microwave and a mini fridge. Doorbells compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act are also included for ADA-accessible rooms. Each floor offers lounges, study spaces, and community-style residence hall spaces in addition to a community kitchen. Access to the building is designed to be completely keyless, where an individual’s Action Card will function as the key to the building and the individual room. All the floors feature a distinct color along the ceiling accents and pay homage to the old Tutwiler Hall which also had a representative color distributed along each individual floor. “Safety and accessibility were key components in design,” Kerch said. “Guests will be checked in and escorted by residents while in the building.” Kerch said it will take three action card swipes to gain entry to the main building from the street, further enhancing security for students. Additionally, American with Disabilities Act accessibility was considered for access to each facet of the building. Julia Tutwiler Hall also includes a multi-purpose room, which doubles as a storm shelter capable of holding 1,700 people. Storm doors and drop-down covers for the windows and storm doors can be deployed using a single point panel mounted on the wall. In a power outage, back-up generators will allow for the covers to still be deployed. <strong>The</strong> multi-purpose room can be configured to different arrangements to meet the needs of users. <strong>The</strong> space will be available for event reservations throughout the year, with public events using a separate street-facing entrance to enhance security and separation from the living spaces. Directly in the center of the 5A building is the main courtyard, which is monitored by security cameras and Wi-Fi covered. Additionally, there is a secondfloor balcony with seating that overlooks the courtyard. Emphasis was placed on the ability to meet student needs with the spaces designed to encourage a sense of comfort and togetherness among the residents. “Student input was considered for everything from design to outlet placement,” Kerch said. Surveys, student feedback, and resident advisor inquiry were all used to obtain student feedback. Even the furnishings took years of planning. <strong>The</strong> University of Alabama Furnishings and Design team and interior designer Leah Shephard worked with multiple vendors to obtain pieces for the project. Safety and accessibility were key components in design. Guests will be checked in and escorted by residents while in the building. MATTHEW KERCH “It was a collaborative process with multiple samples and design considerations taken into account,” Kerch said. In addition to the new resident rooms, multi-purpose space, and community opportunities, the offices for the Office of Housing and Residential Communities is now housed on the first floor of Tutwiler Hall, and it will be a stop prospective students make when touring University residence halls. STUDENT HEALTH center & Pharmacy AD GOES HERE shc.ua.edu 205.348.6262
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