Fairfield University plans to convert a section of the Conference Center to create space for 186 beds that would accommodate new sophomore housing, according to town filings reviewed by The Rearview. The renovations to the old Dolan School of Business building, first reported by the Connecticut Insider, represent the newest university effort to accommodate the growing campus population.

According to an application to the Town’s Plan and Zoning Commission submitted at the end of September, the university plans to transform the two-story vacant conference center into a new residence hall. 

While the documents submitted do not specify the configuration of the rooms, a visual analysis of the construction plans shows that most of the bedrooms will be occupied by three residents.  These rooms are classified as “UNIT TYPE B,” and will have three desks and a private bathroom. Only four rooms are shown to have two desks.

In 2020, part of the building was renovated to house the Media Center, a state-of-the-art 18,000-square-foot space dedicated to film, television, and art production. The Media Center also has multiple classroom spaces and faculty offices. However, the conference center wing was left vacant.

“The additional rooms will serve to alleviate crowding on campus, particularly in the rooms designated for first-year students,” said an attorney for the university in a statement of use sent to the commission. 

The attorney also argued that the new development is driven by a “desire” to distribute housing across the entire campus. 

While the project’s primary focus remains to relieve the strain the larger classes have added to the on-campus housing, the application also highlights the addition of parking “in response to the University’s commitment to the Town to address parking […] in this area of campus.”

While sophomore students cannot have cars on campus, the changes will add 72 net parking spaces and eight EV charging ports, as required by a state statute. 

To accommodate the additional spots, the university will remove a green space between Barnyard Manor Block 20 and the Media Center and redesign the Waters Way roundabout to make room for the new housing configuration.

The site plans were designed by Newman Architects, the same firm that designed Dulles Hall and Bowman Hall, the newest sophomore residence halls on campus. 

While it is unusual to have a residence hall in the same space as an academic building, it will not be the first time that has happened on campus. Loyola Hall houses various art classrooms and the sophomore-style Langguth Hall was designed to hold one classroom on its first floor. 

It is unclear whether the entire building will close during the renovations, which are expected to end by the start of the next academic year. 

The university has not officially announced the addition of the new space to the campus community. The housing application process usually starts in late January and extends through the end of March.