As campuses continue to expand, growing student enrollment requires colleges and universities to develop residence halls that are not only spacious, but also technologically advanced, energy efficient, and designed to support evolving student needs.
The University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) was planning the next phase of its Housing Village development to support the university’s continued growth. The new five-story residence hall would provide more than 138,000 square feet of student housing while incorporating collaborative student spaces, outdoor gathering areas, utility infrastructure, and modern building systems. YA Group partnered with Hanbury Design to provide detailed construction cost estimating services that helped establish budget certainty for this significant campus housing investment.
Challenge Overview
Designing and budgeting the construction of a modern student residence hall requires balancing the university’s long-term housing objectives with evolving construction costs and increasingly sophisticated building requirements. Beyond residential spaces, the proposed facility incorporated common areas, study spaces, outdoor amenities, extensive utility improvements, and complex mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and fire protection systems designed to support a contemporary campus living environment.
Because the project remained in the planning and design stages, the design team required an accurate, independent construction cost estimate that reflected current market conditions, anticipated escalation, and the full scope of building and site development. Establishing reliable cost expectations early in the project was essential to supporting future design decisions and maintaining alignment between project goals and the available construction budget.
YA Group’s Area of Impact
YA Group developed a comprehensive construction cost estimate for UNCW’s Housing Village Phase III, evaluating the proposed building, sitework, major building systems, and supporting infrastructure to provide a detailed understanding of anticipated construction costs. Working alongside Hanbury Design, YA incorporated regional pricing, escalation, contingency, and constructability considerations into the estimate, delivering cost intelligence that reflected the complexity of the project.
By providing objective cost estimating services during the planning phase, YA helped the project team make informed decisions before construction began, supporting budget alignment while enabling the university to confidently advance the next phase of its campus housing expansion.
