Construction will soon be underway on new student accommodations at Dalhousie, adding more beds to the university’s housing capacity while increasing the variety of living options available to students.
At its February meeting on Tuesday (Feb. 10), the Dalhousie Board of Governors approved moving ahead with the proposed new housing development on Halifax’s Studley Campus, centrally located off Henry Street behind the Dalhousie Arts Centre.
The as-yet-unnamed residence, scheduled to open to residents in fall 2028, will house 213 students across a variety of offerings — all of them self-contained units, which means kitchens and in-suite laundry. Nearly two-thirds of the available spaces will be part of multi-bedroom shared units, in a mix of two- and four-bedroom options.
“Students have made it clear in our housing planning engagements that proximity to campus and alternatives to dormitory-style housing are important priorities,” says Cathie O’Toole, vice-president finance and administration. “Universities play an important role in the local housing market. By investing in student housing, universities can help mitigate local market pressure by reducing the competition for non-university housing."
One of the goals of the new residence is to create more on-campus housing options for upper-year and graduate students. To that end, the building will offer 12-month leases (versus the usual eight-month model for residence), allowing for year-round occupancy.
The building plans include a multi-use co-working lounge that will allow for varied seating arrangements and flexible layouts, meaning it can be used for quiet study or group collaboration as well as larger residence events and gatherings. Indoor bike storage will also be available.
The L-shaped building — Dal’s first new housing complex since LeMarchant Place opened in 2014 — will be six storeys tall and total 94,000 square feet in space. The building is targeting LEED Gold sustainability certification along with Rick Hansen Accessibility certification. The project also helps ensure Dalhousie meets its student housing requirements under its bilaterial agreement with the Province of Nova Scotia.
The total cost of building the new housing complex is budgeted at $67.4M. The majority of this will be raised through debt funding that will be repaid through residence fees once the facility is open. Work is well underway towards acquiring additional funding sources to offset construction costs and improve affordability for students. This includes discussing various funding options with government — discussions that are ongoing, with hopes of more information being available to share soon. Consistent with the principles of all Dalhousie’s student housing, no operating funds will be spent on construction or operation.
Construction is scheduled to begin in May 2026. To make room for the new residence, several existing Dal-owned structures will be demolished, including the existing Mini Residence buildings (following the conclusion of the current academic year) and houses currently occupied by Environmental Health and Safety and the Dalhousie Faculty Association. Those offices will be moving into Dal-owned houses on Robie Street.
For more information and updates on the student housing project, visit the Campus Development website.