Welcome Back: New dorm completed, students move in

Freshman students will reap the benefits of the construction upperclassmen have endured when they move into Nordenberg Hall this semester. 

In October 2011, the Property and Facilities Committee of the University of Pittsburgh’s Board of Trustees approved the construction of Nordenberg Hall. The 10-story building was projected to cost $59 million and the renovations are finally complete, just in time for students to move in for the fall semester.

The dorm will hold 543 freshman students, along with 16 resident assistants. Each floor is divided into a North and South wing and has 72 beds. Every wing has its own common bathroom, and floors will be divided into wings by gender depending on the enrollment ratio each year. 

The building — which was designed by Mackey Mitchell Architects of St. Louis along with MacLachlan, Cornelius & Filoni Inc., a Pittsburgh firm — has eight residential floors. The first floor is a retail space including a PNC Bank, and the second floor now houses the University’s Wellness Center. 

Vice Provost and Dean of Students Kathy Humphrey said that she was happy to open the Wellness Center in a building that honors Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg. 

“We are thrilled to be able to move into a convenient, University-owned wellness facility that will enable us to better serve our students,” Humphrey said in an email. 

Erik Taskin, an incoming freshman from Newtown, Pa., plans to major in biology and 

will live in Nordenberg Hall this year. 

“Nordenberg Hall was my first choice … For like four months I was very anxious about whether I would get Nordenberg or not … People told me how competitive it was. The moment I found out that I got into Nordenberg, I was very excited,” Taskin said.

Double- and triple-occupancy units are available to students, while resident assistants occupy the only single-occupancy rooms.

Each wing features an open lobby in the corridor that encourages freshmen to interact and engage with one another, along with a silent study room. Students will also have access to a patio overlooking Bellefield Church, a fitness center on the third floor and an indoor bicycle storage facility.

“I was looking through the pictures on Panther Central, and I saw the pictures of the common rooms, the study rooms and the bathrooms … I think they’re beautiful compared to others I’ve seen throughout colleges,” Taskin said. 

Nordenberg Hall has several features that other dorms lack. For instance, two soundproof music practice booths were installed on the third floor. 

Stephen Cohen, of Gibsonia, Pa., who will also live in the new residence hall, said that Pitt’s housing seems nicer and newer in general compared to other colleges he toured. 

Each room also includes a flat-screen television, a microwave and a refrigerator. There are only hallway phones, as in-room phones have been done away with. 

“A room that comes with a TV and a fridge … That just seems so much better [than Towers]. Having new things and a room that comes with all these extra bonuses just seems so cool,” Cohen said. 

The newer accommodations in the hall also appeal to Taskin.

“At PittStart I stayed in a Towers room … I wasn’t too fond of it … I guess it’s a lot older. I didn’t like the idea of old dorms. I’ve visited friends at Penn State and saw that they had old dorms, and I just like the new living conditions,” he said. 

Cohen added that living in Nordenberg Hall will make his freshman year a lot more fun.

“I get to live in a brand-new building,” he said. “I know some of my friends are jealous, but I’ll have them over.”