[media-credit name=’RAY PFEIFFER/Herald photo’ align=’alignnone’ width=’648′][/media-credit]Sporting air conditioning, large rooms, walk-in closets and high ceilings, The University of Wisconsin's newest dormitory, Newell J. Smith Hall, is anything but ordinary when it comes to residence halls. Located on Park Street between Dayton and Regent Streets, Smith Hall is set to open for the fall semester, and, according to University Housing Director Paul Evans, the new dormitory offers an updated design more suitable for today's college students.

"For the people who don't want the 1960s residence hall design, we're hoping they will look at [Smith Hall] and say, 'That would be a place I'd like to live,'" Evans said.

The new design is based largely upon student feedback, according to Evans, which mostly dictated the need for more privacy, particularly with bathrooms, larger rooms and closets, better individual heat control and air conditioning.

With a capacity of 414 residents, the new facility boasts both single and double bedrooms with no more than five residents to a bathroom. Additionally, a study room is located on each wing and food service is provided by Newell's Café, a small deli arranged to supplement the dining facilities available at other nearby residence halls.

It is the cutting edge design, though, along with attention to detail that leads Interim Dean of Students Lori Berquam to call the new building "absolutely gorgeous."

"There is a focus on individual space for students as well as places to bring them together as a community," she said. "I think Housing did a great job of asking students what they wanted and responding to that [feedback]."

For Gideon Martin, a UW sophomore and Smith Hall resident this fall, the changes UW Housing implemented in the design were the selling points in his decision.

Although most of his friends opted out of university housing in favor of apartments or houses, Martin said he chose Smith Hall for its location and amenities.

"Almost everyone is living in apartments," he admitted. "It's just the culture of the campus."

But with the spacious rooms and other benefits afforded by the new hall, Martin said he does not feel as though he is missing out — and he is not alone in feeling that way. According to Evans, Smith Hall was the most frequently requested dormitory for the fall semester, even with an additional $750 fee tacked on from the regular residence hall rate, which Martin called "well worth it."

In addition to the opening of Smith Hall, UW Housing has also implemented other changes on campus, including making Elizabeth Waters Hall a co-ed facility.

"We've had trouble getting enough women to live in Liz Waters as a single-sex hall," Evans said. "That number has been shrinking and shrinking over the years."

With its lakefront location and on-site dining hall complete with an outdoor patio, Liz Waters' new co-ed status has made the dormitory the second most requested residence hall on campus, Evans said, adding it was a popular selection for male and female students alike.

In its place, Evans said UW Housing has arranged for Cole Hall, a smaller residence hall sitting alongside Lake Mendota, to serve as an all-women dormitory.

Other changes to UW Housing are expected in upcoming years, including the demolition of Ogg Hall and the completion of its replacement on the corner of Dayton and Park Streets, set to open for student residents in Fall 2007.