Construction on the new undergraduate entrepreneurship building, Infinity Hall, has kicked off.
Gainesville Mayor Ed Braddy and UF President Bernie Machen took part in the dorm’s groundbreaking ceremony on Thursday.
The facility, owned by Signet Enterprises, is set to open by Fall 2015. Construction is expected to last through the end of July 2015, according to Chris Gregory, project manager of Brasfield & Gorrie, a privately owned construction company headlining the project.
“We coordinate closely with the Housing and Residence Education staff and the design team at Perkins + Will to ensure Infinity Hall is consistent with the standards of Housing’s other new facilities as well as the entrepreneurship curriculum and lifestyle intended for Infinity Hall students,” he wrote in an email.
Infinity Hall will offer 308 beds, and facility operations will be managed by Signet Enterprises.
The 92,000-square-foot project will cost about $15.9 million, according to a Brasfield & Gorrie press release.
Across the street from the Innovation Square, the residence hall will be located two blocks from the university and six blocks from downtown Gainesville.
The new community will be the country’s first entrepreneurial academic residential community. It will feature four floors of residential living space, team meeting rooms, space for the university’s entrepreneurship programs and a resident maintenance shop.
The UF Department of Housing and Residence Education, in partnership with Signet Enterprises, will manage occupancy, rent collection, residence life staffing, desk operations and programming to support the Entrepreneurial Living Learning Community.
The rent for the 2015-2016 school year has not been determined yet, said Sharon Blansett, assistant to the associate vice president for student affairs.
“The staff anticipates the rental rate will be comparable to the rental rate for the 2015 and 2016 Honors Residential College at Hume Hall,” she said. “That rental rate is also being determined.”
The residential hall will feature eight single rooms, 16 single suites, 48 double suites and 20 suites for four people, according to the UF HRE website.
Michael Elliot, a UF computer engineering junior, said he’s interested in seeing what the hall will look like.
“I like that UF is making great developments to things that students can use and take advantage of,” the 21-year-old said. “I think the Reitz Union will also be done around the same time, so it’s very cool to see so many new things come to people in this community.”
[A version of this story ran on page 1 on 10/27/2014]
