Many of our existing residence halls were built decades ago and were designed for a very different era of student life. 

The first phase of new housing will include semi-suite and hotel-style single room configurations with substantial common space on the ground floor and on residential floors. This community will include lounges, a 24-hour study area, new dining options and a multipurpose classroom to support LLC operations. The facility's design incorporates all the comforts of home - from modern study, community and dining spaces, to ice machines, water bottle fill stations and updated key access technology. 

Student input has been valuable throughout this process. All students were given the opportunity to provide input through a campus-wide survey in fall 2025 in which 16% of current students participated. In addition, the university has conducted housing and dining focus groups since early 2025 in order to gather additional input. Some building features including private bathrooms, community spaces, and affordable price points were selected in direct response to feedback. Student input will continue to be solicited and will remain a valuable part of the planning and implementation process for future projects including the second phase of housing. In addition, students will have the opportunity to complete satisfaction surveys each semester.

The housing transformation initiative will begin with the construction of phase one, a 1,000-bed new residence hall, which will replace Douglas Keen and Hugh Poland Halls and is expected to open in the fall 2028 semester. In addition, Gilbane will assume responsibility for renovations and facility maintenance across the rest of WKU's housing.

Throughout this process, a guiding priority has been keeping housing costs affordable and campus living accessible for WKU's students. This transformative project will advance WKU's housing portfolio while keeping rates among the most competitive in the Commonwealth. 

Under a P3 (or Public-Private Partnership) arrangement, the university collaborates with a private developer which assumes responsibility for various components of a major project. This may include financing, design, construction and operations. Throughout Kentucky and nationwide, P3s are an increasingly popular way for institutions to renew and expand campus housing portfolios - making them a proven and sustainable strategy. Every P3 is different. For WKU, the P3 approach ensures that new facilities can be developed quickly and to national standards while continuing to prioritize affordability for students. 

Gilbane is a national construction and real estate development company that partners with institutions on projects like campus housing, academic buildings and infrastructure. As such, Gilbane brings the required expertise to WKU to engage in a large, transformative project such as the housing initiative. Gilbane is one of the oldest privately held construction and real estate firms in the U.S., founded in 1870 and still family-owned today. They operate nationwide and internationally with more than 45 offices and around 3,000 employees. They have been involved in multiple university partnerships nationally, including with Clemson, Brown, Eastern Michigan University and the University of Maryland.