JonesDBR worked with Kirksey to renovate nine existing residence halls that house the Corps of Cadets on the College Station campus of Texas A&M University. With 2,600 cadets living “on the Quad”, the Corps dorms are a vital and thriving part of campus life. Built in the 1930s, the Aggie Corps of Cadets housing needed an aesthetic reboot and modernization. The renovations revitalized and preserved the dorms and brought one of the most central pieces of Aggie history back into visual prominence.
The project team developed a process to renovate and modernize this historic group of housing facilities under an extremely tight schedule. Through the design/build process, the design team established a plan to allow all nine buildings to be completed rehabilitated in 24 months, utilizing phased construction packages. Phase I included completion of the first five buildings and most of the site infrastructure, while Phase II included the remaining four buildings. In addition to the modernization of the nine existing buildings, two new Leadership Learning Centers were added for independent and collaborative student study, and to house the Corps Area Housing Office and additional Corps support operations.
JonesDBR provided mechanical, electrical, and plumbing engineering services, technology consulting services, and building systems commissioning for the renovation of the nine existing Corps of Cadets Dorms and the addition of two new LLCs. The renovations included full replacements of the mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems.
The existing buildings, at nearly 90 years old, presented some particular engineering challenges. The low floor-to-floor height made the distribution of building services horizontally difficult. And the new LLCs were designed to tie into the existing dormitories, so the same height constraints were present in the new buildings. MEP systems were carefully coordinated with the Architect to meet the objectives of Texas A&M Residence Life, provide maximum comfort and controllability, and integrate into the interior design.
The project included the replacement of underground utilities in the Quad. JonesDBR also performed electrical power distribution and lighting photometric design for the improvements to the entire Quad site.
