UC residence hall gets facelift, total renovation

The University of Cincinnati’s Morgens Hall, which sits at the corner of West Campus near the intersection of Martin Luther King and Jefferson Avenue, underwent renovations for the coming school year. The 144-unit apartment-style residential hall was designed in collaboration with Richard Fleischman + Partners Architects.
 
Morgens Hall contains 456 beds on levels 100 to 1200, with two penthouse apartments on level 1400 for the resident coordinator and assistant resident coordinator. The two-person small studios; two-person standard studios; three-person, two-bedroom apartments; and eight-person, five-bedroom apartments are open to students of all academic classifications.
 
Each apartment features first-of-its-kind furniture, which was developed by UC H&FS staff, along with an industry partner. The dresser-desk combo expands and contracts to save floor space.
 
Renovations to the hall included replacing the old concrete-and-brick exterior with 2,000 glass panels. The panels feature a high-tech design that provides better insulation to the building due to the low-emissive properties of the glass. UC hopes the panels will elevate Morgens Hall to LEED-certified status.
 
The glass panels have adjustable privacy screens that are 98 percent opaque and are thermal weaved for energy conservation. The panels also have a white linear pattern on them, which is called “fritting”—the reflective pattern adds another degree of insulation to the glass by decreasing solar heat gain by 20 percent.
 
Other green efforts were made during the renovation process, including reusing the old building. Plus, on-campus living helps to reduce the use of cars because students can walk, ride their bicycles or take shuttles to and from classes.
 
Multiple-occupancy units are $3,938 per person per semester, and single-occupancy bedrooms in the two- or five-bedroom apartments are $4,175 per person per semester; meal plans are not included in this pricing.
 
By Caitlin Koenig
Follow Caitlin on Twitter