Sept. 21 Medical Student Residence Dedication Ceremony

BUSM students, faculty and staff are invited to attend the dedication ceremony on Friday, Sept. 21, at 2:30 p.m. at 815 Albany St.

Looking down Albany Street it’s hard to miss the brick and limestone façade of the newly constructed, nine-story student residence. Fully occupied by 208 BUSM medical and graduate medical sciences students, most of whom moved in during the late summer, the residence and adjacent park provide safe, affordable housing near the Medical Campus.

The formal dedication ceremony for the residence will take place on Friday, Sept. 21 at 2:30 p.m. BU President Robert Brown, BUSM Dean and BUMC Provost Karen Antman, MD, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino and Amrita Devalapalli, BUSM Class of 2013, will speak at this milestone event. Tours of the residence will be held before and after the dedication ceremony.

“Successful physicians and scientists work in teams. This building provides our students with a sense of community that we believe will strengthen collaboration and enrich their medical education,” said Dr. Antman. “The option of safe, affordable on-campus housing that eliminates commuting and decreases students’ financial burden also enhances the profile of the School for prospective students.

Great Place to Live – Meet some of the students on Facebook

Students living in the residence are giving good reviews of the suites, amenities and location. “I just moved in; I am so happy with my apartment and the room. It’s wonderful! It’s going to make such a huge difference in my quality of life and mental health!” said Sandra J. Valenciano, MPH, MD candidate, BUSM ’14.

Building a community among students is another goal of the residence. This sentiment is echoed by Claire Wang, BUSM ’16, “I like living here. We have events such as potlucks. It’s like a small community. We all help each other.”

Nicholas Lowe BUSM ‘16, solicited donations from classmates and acquired a skeleton that now resides in the student lounge. Other residents have been using the skeleton while reviewing their anatomy notes and leaving comments, questions and helpful study hints on the white board, providing evidence that the residence is lending itself nicely to group studying and community interaction.

According to Priya Shankar BUSM ‘16, “One of the best parts of the student residence is having a group of friends I can study with and hang out with. It’s really nice to have that collaboration. The MSR was one of the reasons I wanted to come to BUSM.”

Traditional exterior hides sleek, modern interior and with urban feel

The $33 million residence is a state-of-the-art, 88,000-square-foot building, comprising 104 fully furnished, two-bedroom suites, eight of which are ADA compliant. Each suite contains a full bath, kitchenette and common living area. The building also includes a student lounge and fitness center on the first floor.

The 1,300 square-foot student lounge, bathed in natural light, is designed as a retreat for students to relax with friends, watch television or study. In addition to couches and study tables, the lounge features a baby grand piano. This space can hold approximately 90 students.

The fitness center includes treadmills, elliptical cross-trainers, recumbent and upright bikes. This room is accessible to residents by keycard.

Exterior amenities and features

In addition to the building, residents have access to a 9,000 square-foot park that features a variety of ornamental, deciduous and evergreen trees as well as flowering and evergreen shrubs providing for seasonal shade and color. Perennials, bulbs and annuals provide ongoing visual interest. Water collected on the roof of the residence and stored in a tank buried in the park is the main source of water for irrigation. Eco-friendly drip irrigation, the slow, precise application of water directly to the plants’ root zones, maintains an optimum moisture level efficiently conserving water that might otherwise be lost to non-growth areas, runoff, sun or wind. The limited lawn areas use underground sprinklers.

As part of the university’s commitment to sustainability, the building has applied for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, which consists of a suite of rating systems for the design, construction and operation of high-performance “green” buildings, homes and neighborhoods. It was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in 1998.

See additional Facebook albums including the groundbreaking ceremony, the 2011 construction process , more interior photos.