Set within the wooded landscape of Western Michigan University’s Goldsworth Valley, this next-generation residence hall is purposefully designed to welcome first-year students into campus life through warmth, community, and purpose-built design. Scheduled to open in Fall 2026, the project replaces the aging Valley 3 complex with a high-performance housing solution rooted in sustainability and well-being.
At the core of this new facility is a mass timber structure built from Southern Yellow Pine, a regionally available species known for its strength, warmth, and environmental performance. MMT supplied 3,164 m³ of CLT and 128 m³ of glulam, supporting an off-site prefabrication strategy that accelerates the construction schedule while reducing onsite labor and material waste. Together, the CLT floor and wall panels and glulam beams and columns form a hybrid system that delivers speed, precision, and embodied carbon reduction.
The design takes full advantage of the material’s natural beauty, leaving wood exposed in student bedrooms and gathering spaces to support focus, calm, and connection—key biophilic benefits that are especially meaningful in first-year housing. Programmatically, the hall includes a central lounge with kitchen and laundry, a health and well-being studio, hybrid learning booths, and informal collaboration spaces. Outdoors, students can move between activated social areas and a quiet north courtyard, extending the learning environment into the landscape.
