The semester has begun, autumn is crisp in the air, and that means that the planning processes for future housing that ResEd started this summer — the Phase II housing project and the College Master Housing plan — are now well underway.

Over the summer, Associate Dean of Students and Director of ResEd Molly Tyson and Director of Dining Services Michele Gross – as well as several student volunteers – met with Fred Fisher, the architect hired to bring Phase II into fruition. Fisher brought to the table many suggestions for layout of the new upper-classman housing. 

These suggestions ranged from what he described as the ethos of the architecture to the physical spacing on the grounds to the design of individual rooms.

After wading through the myriad options, the students selected to serve on the planning committees, as well as Tyson and Gross, narrowed their focus. The end is far from sight, however. Only a few parameters have been decided at this point.

The group determined that the new housing structures will not be town-houses like the Union Street development. Rather, there will be four or five larger residences, creating a quad-like formation. The group noted that quads tend to see a good deal of use by Oberlin students.

In terms of general architecture, Fisher has been encouraging a somewhat avant-garde style. This is in hope of creating an iconic entrance to Oberlin as you approach from the East. However, no general aesthetic has been pinned down yet.

The new development will likely hold a total of 96 beds. They will not be the single size beds that presently pervade campus, but doubles. The specific layout within each room is still to be determined, although each room will have living space comparable in size to or possibly greater than the Union Street housing. Several of the suggested room layouts are non-traditional in terms of Oberlin’s housing, including one plan that calls for two floors and another which has a loft design.

The only other parameter set by the college is that the new development’s environmental sustainability must meet LEED’s Silver standard at a minimum, although there are hopes to achieve the Gold level.

The Phase II housing project is set for the block behind the Allen Memorial Art Museum and requires the demolition of several college owned structures. Some will remain intact, however, including the Faculty Rental and Shansi house.

Master Planning is also proceeding as planned. Consultants Herbert S. Newman and Partners are analyzing current residences and reporting on perceived difficulties in renovation and the estimated cost for each hall.

All 23 buildings on campus are set to be examined by the firm, which analyzes such facets as “community, space usage, flow and de-densification” – although little has been said regarding accessibility. At this point, Oberlin is only equipped with two wheelchair accessible rooms in its residence halls.

At this point the firm has reported on South, North, Burton, Asia House and Firelands residences.

Both Phase II and Master Housing are ongoing projects, and their respective committees will continue to meet on a bi-weekly basis. Students are encouraged to participate in these committees, especially first- and second-year students who will likely see these housing initiatives through their conclusions.

When asked whether construction plans in motion would be affected by the recent resignation of President Nancy Dye, Tyson said that there is “no indication that timetables have changed.”