LEWISBURG, Pa. — If you've been to Bucknell University in Lewisburg, you're probably familiar with the "Mods." The residential units were built in the 1970s as temporary housing, and they've stuck around for more than 50 years. But now, they are being replaced.
"We were blessed with the opportunity to actually build something new and really give students something special that would replace the temporary housing with something more permanent," said Stephen Apanel, Bucknell's director of housing services.
The West Campus Apartments will consist of four buildings, each housing around 70 students.
"Four bedrooms to each apartment, each bedroom is a single bedroom. There's also bathroom space, living room space, and a kitchen space with an island."
The new buildings are energy efficient too. The residence halls have geothermal well systems for heating and cooling—a campus first.
"We use the energy from Mother Earth, which is 52-to-55-degree water. That becomes part of the heating and cooling loop. It saves us a lot of money and is very sustainable," said Jeff Loss, Bucknell University associate vice president for facilities.
"It's a nice building. It's clean. It's far away from the hubbub of campus, which I enjoy," said senior Taylor Schultz. "When these opened up, I was really excited because I wanted the apartment-style living. So, when I found out these were available, I thought, 'Perfect, I'll try and get this.'"
Construction on the second pair of West Campus Apartments is scheduled to start in December. Bucknell University says all four residence halls will be open next fall.
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