Campus Planning
Boston University is committed to constant progress and development in all areas, and as the university grows academically and by reputation, our campus is growing and changing along with us. Below you’ll find highlighted some of the more notable campus development projects we have undertaken in recent years.
Student Village Phase II
The second phase of the John Hancock Student Village project represents a significant step towards the University's goal of providing housing for all students who desire to live on campus. Completed in May 2009, Boston University's newest residence accommodates 960 residents in two towers. The 26-story tower houses juniors and seniors in an apartment-style setting. The 19-story tower houses sophomores, juniors and seniors in dormitory-style suite settings. They join the 817 students who live in the Phase I residence hall at 10 Buick Street in the Student Village.
Commonwealth Avenue Improvements
Working with the City of Boston Department of Public Works and the State Executive Office of Transportation, we helped bring about major changes to the campus' main street, and we are now enjoying the benefits of the Commonwealth Avenue improvement project. The wider sidewalks, with two rows of trees, new period streetlights, articulated crosswalks, the reduction of three lanes of through traffic to two lanes, the addition of bicycle lanes, and a variety of pedestrian-friendly improvements have had an enormous impact on the look, feel and safety of Commonwealth Avenue.
NEIDL
The National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratory (NEIDL) is being developed as a state-of-the-art research facility in which scientists can pursue the development of drugs, vaccines and treatments to cure and prevent infectious diseases.
The NEIDL is one of the most important projects BU has undertaken in recent years, and one of the most controversial. Click here to visit the NEIDL website. Also you can download PDF versions of the fact sheet and frequently asked questions.
Life Sciences & Engineering Building
The $83 million Life Sciences & Engineering Building, with 42 research labs, opened on Cummington Street in May 2005. In 1998, the University began an exciting program of expansion in the fields of Biology and Chemistry. Now, Biology occupies 47,000 square feet for cell molecular biology and neurobiology, and Chemistry occupies 28,000 square feet, mostly assigned to organic synthetic chemists and several biochemists. In addition to the administrative space for Bioinformatics, the building provides research facilities for several faculty from the Department of Biomedical Engineering and a computational lab for instruction and research. Hover your mouse over the photo to see the old site — the old Nickelodeon Theater.
School of Hospitality Administration
Opened in 2006, at 928 Commonwealth Avenue, the new home of the School of Hospitality Administration can accommodate more than 400 students. The three-story building has a “real hotel flair,” according to one faculty member, offering ambience its graduates can expect to find in their professional careers.
Warren Towers Dining Hall
The Warren Towers dining hall has undergone renovations in the last few years; starting in 2003, the University began a three-phase renovation project, spread over four years. Hover your mouse over the photo to see what it looked like before renovations, and click here for an image of the Mongolian Grill, one of the highlights of the renovated facility.
Brownstone Restorations
For more than 20 years, Boston University has been restoring its brownstone residences on Bay State Road and in the South Campus area to their original elegance. Today, forty of these small, uniquely charming and attractive urban residence halls are home to more than 800 students, offering the warmth of a small community within a large institution. Hover your mouse over the photo to view an image of what this common space used to look like.
Graduate Student Housing
The Graduate Housing Building at 580 Commonwealth Avenue opened in the Fall of 2004, providing 220 studio and one-bedroom units. Hover your mouse over the photo to see an image of the old site.
Track and Tennis Center
The Track and Tennis Center, at 100 Ashford Street, opened in September 2002. The building is 83,000 square feet and in addition to facilitating first-rate sports activities, it has excellent spectator circulation space, with a seating capacity of 1,500. Hover your mouse over the photo to see the old site, and click here for an image of the interior of the building.
John Hancock Student Village
The John Hancock Student Village has been one of the most important and visible campus developments in recent years. We began construction on the old Commonwealth Armory Site in 1998. The first project completed was a residential building for 817 students; subsequently, the Agganis Arena opened in December 2004 and the Fitness and Recreation Building opened in March 2005. Hover your mouse over the photo below for an image of the site pre-renovation, and click here for a series of images detailing the interiors of these great new facilities.
