El Paso, Texas-headquarted Hunt Companies, in partnership with Texas A&M University, provided development and construction management services for design, finance, site and vertical construction. Moss & Associates, a Hunt affiliate headquartered in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., was the project’s general contractor. Houston-based architecture and engineering firm PGAL completed the building’s architectural design. Construction on the residence hall began in June 2014.

The Texas A&M Maritime Academy Hall design focuses on the need to provide midshipmen direct access to residential, leadership and centralized gathering locations, according to a statement by Hunt Companies. The facility features two residential wings and two 2-bedroom apartments for Residence Life staff connected to a central commons area including classrooms, study lounges, flexible social spaces, staff and cadet offices, a reception area, laundry facilities, a convenience shop and storage. An adjacent space features an illuminated formation court, and residents can also enjoy the outdoor Midshipmen Main Deck.

“This new midshipmen residence hall will make the growth of our maritime academy possible and therefore provide the officers needed as America’s merchant fleet expands to meet national interests,” said retired Rear Admiral Robert Smith III, USN, chief executive officer, Texas A&M University at Galveston and superintendent of the Texas A&M Maritime Academy, in a statement on the academy’s website.

“The priority is to deliver a comfortable and amenity driven living environment to the future cadets, instructors and staff of the residence hall at Texas A&M at Galveston,” said Sinclair Cooper, president of Hunt Companies’ Public Infrastructure Division, in a 2014 statement made after Hunt was selected for the project. “We are honored to work with this respected university to help prepare its students to be the leaders of tomorrow and carry on the extraordinary traditions of the cadet program.”

The Texas A&M Maritime Academy is one of six maritime academies in the U.S. preparing graduates for licensing as officers in the U.S. Merchant Marine and for commissioning in the U.S. Navy

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The small, marine sciences-oriented university selected Ft. Lauderdale-based firm Moss & Associates for design-build of new six-story facility. Hunt Companies of El Paso is financing and developing the project, its first with Texas A&M. PGAL, a Houston architecture firm, was selected to design the facility. Construction began on June 30 and is currently scheduled for completion in the fall of 2015.

“Hunt is honored and excited to have the opportunity to work with Texas A&M University at Galveston on this important project," said Sinclair Cooper, co-president of Hunt’s Public-Private Partnership division, in a release. "This partnership will create a more comfortable and accommodating living environment for current and future cadets, and allow for greater flexibility and housing options for the growing student population. We look forward to beginning what we hope to be a long and lasting relationship with the Texas A&M University System.”

According to a release provided by Moss & Associates, the 612-bed development will feature a design focused on providing Maritime Academy cadets with direct access to residential and leadership areas, as well as centralized gathering locations. The Cadet Hall design consists of two residential wings connected to a central commons, and features an illuminated formation court and amenities suitable for the most modern facilities. The commons includes four classrooms, study lounges, flexible social spaces, staff and cadet offices, a reception area, common laundry facilities, a convenience shop, and storage areas.

“This project will be designed and built to provide future cadets, instructors and staff with a sophisticated environment for learning and living strong in comfort and amenities,” Moss & Associates Senior Vice President Mike Mazza said in a statement.

The university’s current campus master plan, developed by Ford, Powell & Carson Architects & Planners Inc. of San Antonio, describes the Texas Maritime Academy as “a special community within the larger campus community.” According to the master plan document, it was important that the university fostered a sense of community within the Corps of Cadets, and separate, dedicated housing was an obvious method of reaching this goal.

The location of the Maritime Academy Cadet Residence Hall was also important as connections to the ship and the drill platform required direct pedestrian access.

“Separating the Corps housing from general housing is also useful for functional reasons,” the planners wrote. “Cadets are required to stand watches on the Texas Clipper and participate in other activities such as morning formation; schedules for these activities are generally very different from the schedules of non-Corps students, so separating the Corps housing will ease such conflicts.”

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According to the university, the new Honors, Scholars & Fellows House was created to promote a sense of community among the campus’ brightest, most hard-working students, and to provide those students with support as they reach new levels of success. In the new facility, students will be encouraged to share creative ideas; build lasting relationships; discover new ways of thinking; and utilize programs, academic services and mentorship opportunities like never before.

The new pre-certified LEED Gold Honors, Scholars and Fellows House, designed by Gould Evans Architecture of Kansas City, features a variety of offices, classrooms, reading rooms and collaborative spaces in a classic envelope. The brick exterior, complete with a rooftop terrace, was intended to have a cottage feel, while the interior offers plenty of natural light and a lofted, layered design.

The first floor of the annex has been open to the general student population since September, with two restaurants, a convenience store, and areas for both socializing and study. While the first floor was occupied, crews finished construction on the upper floors, receiving a certificate of occupancy in January. These upper floors, which also include a banquet hall, bring together honors undergraduate students with graduate students and fellows to foster intellectual exchange and collaboration. The Honors, Scholars & Fellows House will also be home to the Honors Program, the Office of Undergraduate Research, the Office of National Fellowships, the Fellows Society, the Office of Graduate Fellowships and the Program for Instructional Excellence.
“This will be a place for students to go to get special advising, meet with other students and to meet with faculty,” James Mathes, director of the University Honors Program, told the FSU News as construction commenced. “It is a home away from home.”

Construction on the Honors, Scholars and Fellows House required a high degree of coordination. Keeping construction on schedule while minimizing disruption to campus life in particular posed unique challenges in the midst of a busy campus of more than 40,000 students. To accommodate both academic life and budget constraints, the facility was completed in five different phases. Crews also paved a new roadway in the front of the building, and added new sidewalks and landscaping.

The $15.6 million Honors, Scholars and Fellows House, also known as the Johnston Building Annex, was completed by Peter Brown Construction, a division of Moss & Associates, in just 15 months. According to Vice President of Peter Brown Construction, Brad Will, the new facility will also help position the school as a magnet for high achieving students. "This is all about the academics, and is part of the university’s push to be one of the top 25 public research institutions in the country,” Will said.

The new building also compliments the recently renovated William Johnston Building, originally built in the early 1900s in the Jacobean architectural style seen throughout the FSU campus. Peter Brown Construction also served as construction manager for that $38 million renovation, modernizing the interior, bringing the structure up to code, and expanding it to 145,000 square feet.

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