[media-credit name=’BRYAN FAUST/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]For students looking to explore their faith, a new apartment building dedicated to spiritual growth will be opening on the University of Wisconsin campus next fall.

Developers plan to build the private dormitory, called the Pres House, on State Street next to the already-existing church of the same name.

"Our new housing facility will be a distinctive living option for the campus," said Rev. Mark Elsdon, executive director of the Pres House.

The Pres House is being built right next to the Presbyterian Church on State Street and will cost $16.9 million. The goal of the residence hall, Elsdon said, is to help students explore their faith — whatever that may be.

"Diversity among the residents will provide a rich environment for dialogue and spiritual exploration," he added.

Though the apartment building will be separate from the church, there will be a tunnel connecting the two so that students can join in worship while "still wearing their pajamas," according to Elsdon.

The Pres House is the latest in a long line of private dorms on campus, but is the first one specifically designed for students to focus on their spirituality.

"Spirituality is important to the overall health and wellbeing of students," Elsdon said. "Public universities like UW-Madison rely on campus religious centers like Pres House to meet these spiritual needs."

The Pres House will be open to all students and will provide weekly worship services, discussion groups, service trips and a number of other activities, Elsdon said.

These student services, Elsdon added, will hopefully bring together students from all different walks of life and encourage them to form meaningful friendships.

"Community-building activities will provide space for friendships to develop and flourish," Elsdon said. "We hope to create a culture where friendships and community occur through a variety of avenues and where alcohol is not the center of social life."

The list of students that are applying for residency is "rapidly growing," according to Elsdon, who added there are many options available to each resident.

He said all renting will be done "by the bed," meaning that students only need rent their bed and can either do so with friends or alone in order to meet completely new people, which he noted should provide a "great deal of flexibility."

The seven-story, 80,000-square-foot building will offer laundry services on every floor as well as community lounge areas. Each apartment will have a living room, two bathrooms and a balcony along with a number of other amenities.

Despite what seems like a new competitor in the heated student-housing market, Housing Director Paul Evans said private and university dorms will continue to coexist.

"I think it will be a popular option," he said. "There are probably a number of students [who] would look at that type of housing as an option they'd be interested in."

Even though this apartment looks like a predominantly Christian environment, Elsdon is quick to reassure people that it is not, and insisted students of other faiths are also welcome.

"This reflects the reality of our increasingly diverse society and honors friendships that are formed across religious experiences," he said.