Building For The Future

As a new academic year has started at UND, so has the official building of the new chapter house at 421 Princeton Street. In September, after the lot was cleared of debris and scraped, the driveway was excavated, and gravel was placed.

As of mid-October, 2/3 of the lower level was excavated. By mid-November, the entire site was excavated, the concrete footings were poured, and the foundation was formed! In December, the tubing for the in-floor heating on the lower level was installed and construction is continuing through this winter.

The contract states that the house should be finished by December 1, 2023. The building should be close to completion by Homecoming 2023. That may be a great time for alumni to return to UND for a weekend visit.

The new chapter house will be a 16,000 square foot two story structure with a lower level. The structure will be a combination of interior wood, and steel frame construction with brick on the exterior. In addition, the chapter house will be fully sprinklered with a modern kitchen, laundry, and elevator to allow for full accessibility for wheelchair users. The sleeping rooms will consist of a combination of single and double rooms. Educational spaces include multiple study rooms, a library, and a media production room. The lower floor will have in-floor heating which will be perfect for the North Dakota winters! Furthermore, the wheelchair ramp leading to the entrance on the north side of the house will be heated during the winter to melt snow and ice.

Here are some drone shots of progress as of December 9th, 2022:

We want to give a special shout out to the Building, Architecture & UND Liaison Committee Chairmen, Brian Poyokko ’78, Cary Schilling ’84 and Brad Aafaedt ’86, who have put countless hours into this project.

Progress and pictures of the construction project will be posted periodically on the New House Construction and Construction Photo Updates page.