Capital Development Committee approves $122 million for University of Colorado Boulder residence‑hall renovation

The Capital Development Committee voted unanimously to approve a $122,000,000 cash funding request from the University of Colorado Boulder to renovate Farand Hall, a seven‑story residence hall that the university says houses about 380 students.

Mike Turman, assistant vice chancellor of design and construction at the University of Colorado Boulder, told the committee the renovation would address $53,500,000 in deferred maintenance — roughly 43% of the project cost — add cooling and accessibility upgrades, expand a grab‑and‑go market, create two classrooms and add study and community space. “We’re here to request a $122,000,000 of cash funding approval for the renovation of Farand Hall,” Turman said.

Turman described sustainability goals for the project, saying the work would reduce the building’s energy use intensity from “over a 100” to roughly “55 to 62 kBtu per square foot,” pursue LEED Gold certification and target an approximate 94% embodied‑carbon reduction compared with a full rebuild. In response to a question from the vice chair, he specified planned measures: adding insulation to the exterior envelope, replacing windows with double‑pane units and converting constant‑volume heating and ventilation to variable‑air‑volume systems.

A committee member asked whether the renovation would change resident capacity; Turman said the overall occupancy would remain roughly the same — about 383–385 students — after accounting for the added accessible units and internal space adjustments. After the presentation and brief questioning the vice chair moved to approve the project as listed on the university’s two‑year projection of cash needs. Committee members present voted in favor and the motion passed unanimously.

The committee adjourned after the vote. The approved cash funding request will proceed according to the committee’s administrative process for capital projects and the university’s next implementation steps, which were not specified during the meeting.