Staff Writer/ Neeraj Ren
FIU is expanding its huge portfolio of buildings with a new 13-story residence hall called “Parkview II and Marine Academy of Science and Technology (MAST).
The new MAST building will be located at the Biscayne Bay Campus housing approximately 500-600 students, the building will serve as a research center. The building consists of wetland habitat and boathouse.
The Parkview II building by far will be the tallest in the Modesto Maidique campus holding an average of 700 students. The site is expected to open by the start of fall 2022.
“We really wanted to have a modern looking building, you know, that really reflects some of the current architecture that’s being built on our campus,” said Andrew Naylor, senior director for Housing & Residential Life.
According to Naylor, the design of the building was designed to echo the other modern buildings on campus like the Parkview and Student Academic Success Center.
“The building is mostly glass so that people can look out from the lounges in either direction. So people on the east side will be able to look down and see parts of the skyline. And people on the west side will be able to look out and see parts of the Everglades,” explained Naylor.
With the increasing student population in FIU, the demand for student housing is steadily on the rise. Parkview II will be intended to house upperclassmen students.
“The new housing is not being built for honor students. They have Parkview. This new housing is to meet demand for juniors and seniors. We have been unable to house juniors for the last few years because so many people want to return to live on campus,” said Naylor.
With students facing a shortage, many off-campus housing projects like “The One” have been set up to meet the demand of juniors and seniors.
“Parkview II is a building that is truly on-campus housing and for some parents and students, that means more than just living in a space, the idea of having the structure on campus provides things like the location and being staffed by the university, there may be more accountability by being staffed by the university,” said Naylor.
“The other thing is that off-campus housing isn’t built to the student account like on-campus housing, so it gives students an easier way to cover the cost of attending FIU,” explained Naylor.
Rooms were set aside for isolation in student housing to manage future coronavirus cases on campus.
Drastic changes are being made to the current housing building to manage Coronavirus cases on campus.
He hopes that this process will not be prolonged into the next school year. The estimated cost of the building is set to 90 million dollars.
“It’s important to know that the cost isn’t coming from student tuition or fees. It’s coming purely from revenue bonds based on the rent that the building will generate,” explained Naylor.
The cost of living is going to be similar to the current Parkview building, with the design including four bedrooms and studios.
Naylor said a lot of people are referring to it as Parkview II, but that this is a working title.
“I think we’re going to start shifting from being a largely commuter campus to more residential, this new building will be a nice addition to our inventory and students are going to love it,” said Naylor.
About Post Author
