A maze of scaffolding and cranes greeted student media on Tuesday, March 19 as the group was guided through the University of Miami’s largest active construction site, Centennial Village phase two.
Guided by project leaders with Coastal Construction, the group got a close-up look at the three new residence halls going up on the Coral Gables campus expected to open in August 2026. The project marks the second phase of the University’s Centennial Village student housing initiative, which aims to modernize and reimagine the first-year residential experience.
“Everything is at a different stage,” Senior Project Manager Lonny Shnur said. “Some buildings are still getting windows. Others are already working on interior framing.”
The site includes two new buildings, labeled 2A and 2E in internal documentation. Building 2A, which includes two towers connected by a bridge closest to the Frost School of Music, will stand eight and ten stories tall, while 2E, near the Herbert Wellness Center, will have nine floors.
Combined, the three towers will house 1,149 beds across 660 rooms. The design emphasizes shared spaces, with every floor featuring study rooms, lounges and communal bathrooms. Each tower also includes a meditation room, faculty apartments and administrative spaces for Housing and Residential Life staff.
Each building also includes HRL administrative spaces on the ground floor, including offices, conference rooms and student staff areas.
One unique feature of the new phase is a bridge on level seven that will connect two of the towers, an architectural element that distinguishes this project from phase one which focused on the new dining hall.
“Each project has its own challenges,” Assistant Superintendent Michael Perez said. “For phase two, the chill beam units keep getting delayed by manufacturers. That’s held us up on finishing interiors.”
To compensate for delays, the crews have been working long hours, often from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m., building morale through weekly team barbecues and impromptu cookouts on Fridays.
“It’s brought us closer together,” Perez said. “We’re all here to get it done.”