Students have officially moved into Centennial village, the 3-year project that marks the beginning of the University’s centennial.
The housing facility brings luxury style living to 841 first-year students and replaces the 54-year-old residential college that previously stood in its place with two buildings: Ibis and Coral.
The complex bodes several exciting features meant to improve the on-campus living experience. The most anticipated of these include private pod-style bathrooms that combine a shower, toilet and sink behind a locked door.
“It feels like a private bathroom,” said Tatiana Porrata, a freshman biology major living in Ibis Residential College.
Coral has 94 bathrooms and Ibis has 64 spread throughout 9 and 10 co-ed floors respectively.
The remaining first-years live in the Mahoney-Pearson Residential Colleges, built in 1962, where students can choose between an entirely private bathroom or one shared between two doubles.
“I wanted Mahoney-Pearson for the individual bathroom because I was hoping for a single,” said Alexa Graham, a freshman accounting and finance major living in the Mahoney Residential College.
Additionally, students in Mahoney-Pearson pay a rate approximately $3,000 less per academic year than residents in Centennial Village.
The construction also included the demolition and complete remodeling of the Stanford-Hecht dining hall, replacing it with a two-story dining hall that connects Ibis and Coral and is open to all students.
While students were anticipating the new dining option and hoping for better quality food than what was offered in the previous dining hall, many were disappointed.
“The new dining hall food is no different than before,” said Addie Murphy, a sophomore studying Health Sciences. “While the dining hall itself is beautifully done, the food itself is the same as it was in the Stanford dining hall. For how much they advertise this new space, it was a let down but compared to other dining halls, there is very little difference.”
The Centennial buildings also house recreational rooms with games for students, including a billiards table and multiple study areas on each floor. On the second floor, students can find meditation rooms for reflection and music practice rooms that can double as counseling rooms.
The designers made several nods to campus landmarks including an emblem representing where Hecht once stood, indoor hammocks and a design that mimics the exterior pattern of the engineering building in the dining hall.
There are outdoor terraces located on the second floor and select others which provide a space for students to take in the Coral Gables campus and new residential colleges. The towers also offer unparalleled views of the surrounding Miami landscape.
The complex is expected to reach LEED-platinum certification for its new approach to sustainable living, primarily through its chilled beam system, a type of HVAC system that uses water to cool and heat buildings.
While it has environmental benefits, students have complained that the innovative AC system can’t compete with Miami’s record heat.
“We’re so high up and hot,” said Porrata. “The air doesn’t go below 71.5 [degrees Fahrenheit]. So we bought three standing fans and now our room stays pretty cool.”
Other sustainability efforts include heat recovery chillers for domestic hot water generation and HVAC load reductions air scrubbers to increase the air quality inside the building. The building was also designed to optimize daylight and determine where to install active circadian lighting systems to support healthy sleep cycles.
Three other Centennial residential colleges are scheduled to open by the end of 2026, marking the completion of the four-year project budgeted for $335 million.