Hanbury, in partnership with The Christman Company, has unveiled plans for a new mass timber student housing project at Western Michigan University (WMU), designed to meet the university’s strategic goals of speed, affordability, and an exceptional student experience. The 276,000-square-foot student housing project will accommodate 1,017 students, providing a pod-style arrangement that complements WMU’s first-year residential experience, and is scheduled to open in the fall of 2026.

The scheme embodies the spirit of WMU and the Valley hillside with dramatic, mass timber framed windows that capture the short views to the forest and the long views to the campus core. The concept features a sun-filled, south facing, student courtyard for see and be seen recreation, along with a quieter, contemplative north courtyard. Inside, students are greeted by a large, central lounge, community kitchen, laundry, multipurpose rooms, collaboration hub, and health & wellbeing studio. In the residential wings, each RA community has access to gracious study lounges, pod lounges, hybrid learning phone booths, and 100% accessible, single occupancy, pod bathrooms.

The project combines prefabricated Cold-Formed Metal Framing (CFMF) and mass timber ceilings, columns, and beams in order to support rapid assembly, durable / high quality materials, and a significant reduction in the project’s carbon footprint. Mass timber’s integration is not just a structural solution but a way to enhance the student experience, offering a direct connection to the wooded surroundings through warm, wood tones, textures, and biophilic properties.

Our prefabrication and design-build approach is incredibly integrated with design, construction, owner, and trade partners, accelerating the fabrication process and maximizing value for students and the University. This strategy is tailored to WMU, building community at multiple scales, putting student activity and engagement on full display, and maximizing sustainable performance.