Project Overview
The University of St. Thomas partnered with Ryan to construct Frey Residence Hall, a five-story second-year housing complex on their Saint Paul, MN campus designed around shared spaces that support undergraduate connection and community. Developed using a collaborative design-build approach, the structure harmonizes seamlessly with the century-old campus architecture while pushing the boundaries of modern sustainability. In fact, midway through construction—and despite the pressures of a tight budget and a fast schedule – the team raised the bar by retroactively shifting their target from LEED Gold to LEED Platinum certification, ultimately achieving this elite green building standard without incurring a single scheduling delay or increasing the project’s budget.
UNIQUE FEATURES
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Complements existing campus buildings through the use of Minnesota-native Kasota stone and red brick
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Houses 260 second-year students– in suite-style pods with warm, bright, social spaces
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Student amenities include a main level club room and student lounge, student kitchens and study rooms, outdoor plazas and more than 8,000-SF of green roof area
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Sustainable building features include carpet made from recycled content, an irrigation metering system, high-efficiency appliances and low-flow water fixtures and an underground rainwater infiltration system
OUTCOMES
- Achieved a LEED V4 Platinum certification, making it only the seventh building in the world to achieve this rating and one of the most sustainable residence halls globally
- Enhanced the Student Experience by delivering an innovative, pod-style living design specifically structured to boost peer-to-peer connection, academic collaboration and community integration
- Exceeded the university’s goal of designing all new buildings larger than 25,000 square feet to meet a minimum of LEED Silver standards
- Advanced the university’s larger plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2035
Client Testimonial
“I want to reinforce how thrilled St. Thomas is with the building Ryan designed and built for us and, as importantly, the great field and project teams we worked with.”
Mark Vangsgard, Vice President for Business Affairs and CFO, University of St. Thomas
