Bed and Breakfast

Biola students will soon have a new residence hall that features sleek study areas, plentiful parking and — perhaps best of all — breakfast burritos just an elevator ride away.

The four-story hall, complete with its very own café on the first floor, was approved in January for construction at the northern end of Biola’s campus. When it opens in fall of 2015, the 160-room building will provide much-needed living space for Biola’s growing residential population — as well as a convenient place to grab a meal or cup of coffee without having to walk to dining areas at the center of campus.

The residence hall will also feature several community lounges, an outdoor courtyard, a roof deck and plenty of technology-friendly study spaces, said Brian Phillips, Biola’s senior director of facilities management. And, consistent with Biola’s commitment to environmental stewardship, it will be built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver standards, he said.

As part of the project, Biola will first build a new parking structure next to Alpha residence hall to make room for the new students’ cars (and to make up for the loss of an existing parking lot outside Sigma residence hall, where the new dorm will be built). Grading began in March for the structure, which will ultimately add 707 new parking spaces to campus by April 2014.