New three-story, 101,000-square-foot building to officially open for fall semester
Skanska USA, one of the world’s leading construction and development firms, announced it has achieved substantial completion eight days early on the New D-Hall dining facility on the campus of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va. The dining hall will officially open with the fall semester in August.
The more modern three-story, 101,000-square-foot building offers additional seating and entrances directly from the commons. It replaces the demolished Gibbons Hall, known on campus as D-Hall, built in the mid-1960s. The new dining facility will serve as the centerpiece of one of the most highly regarded college food service programs in the country. James Madison was listed 10th in the nation in the 2018 Best College Food in America rankings by Niche.com.
“This new dining hall reflects James Madison’s high level of commitment to provide its students with great campus food and facilities, said Greg Peele, executive vice president and general manager of Skanska’s building operations in Virginia/North Carolina. “It also continues our relationship with this rapidly growing university.” Peele adds: “Over the past decade, Skanska built the A3b Biosciences Building and the East Tower for the College of Health and Behavioral Studies, and renovated the historic Duke Hall arts building on the campus.”
The new facility will have a total occupancy load of just over 3,000 and include a kitchen, scullery, serving area, indoor and outdoor seating facilities, associated offices and administrative areas, loading dock and storage facilities, public restrooms, staff locker and shower facilities, and custodial and utility spaces. The project is targeting LEED® Silver certification.
The first floor will house national restaurant brands such as Chick-fil-Aâ, which was previously available on campus, and new-to-JMU options such as Qdoba, Steak and Shake, and Freshens Food Studio. Steak and Shake will have a walk-up window for extended hours.
The second floor will feature an all-you-can-eat buffet in a larger, more open environment with expanded menu options. It will also have balconies with outdoor seating. The third floor will have space for banquets.
Skanska has built more than 250 projects in Virginia. Over the past 10 years, it has completed nearly $2.7 billion worth of work and currently has approximately $1.3 billion of in-progress work in Virginia and North Carolina.