Macalester College will open a new 224-bed residence hall powered by geothermal and solar energy in 2027.

The planned five-story building at Grand Avenue and Macalester Street in St. Paul will primarily serve juniors and seniors at the college as part of its new three-year residence requirement that begins in the fall. It will feature a ground-floor welcome center and cafe.

“Currently, we lack the capacity to house most students after their second year,” Macalester President Suzanne Rivera said during a dedication ceremony earlier this month. “So having more space for students to live on campus will improve their experience, in turn helping us to meet our retention and graduation goals. And as the events of the past year have reminded us, we can take better care of our students when they’re living on campus in a residence hall.”

There are approximately 1,000 juniors and seniors attending Macalester. Around 1,300 students live on campus. Similarly, the University of St. Thomas requires first- and second-year students to live on campus. Colleges that require it often cite improved feelings of belonging and academic success.

The 118,000-square-foot residence hall also will make more housing stock available to local residents and families in the area, Rivera said. The building will be “best in class for ecological responsibility and climate stewardship,” she added. College officials plan to expand the building’s geothermal plant to power the entire north side of the campus.

The total cost of the project is around $88 million, with the college using a combination of donations and debt to fund it.

“This building will set Macalester on a course to make significant progress toward its decarbonization goals,” said Nathan Lief, associate vice president of facilities, in a statement. “The geothermal plant being constructed to heat and cool the building is designed for future expansion, allowing additional buildings north of Grand Avenue to connect to the system and transition away from the campus’s natural gas-powered boiler network. This shift will lower heating and cooling costs while significantly reducing CO2 emissions.”

‘Building envelope’

The building also will feature rooftop solar panels, building materials with lower carbon emissions, a high-performance “building envelope” to improve efficiency and native plants, with features that will reduce stormwater runoff.

The welcome center and expanded admissions and financial aid offices on the ground floor also will share space with a public coffee shop and a multipurpose living space for events and gatherings. The entrance of the building will feature a welcome plaza and campus store.

The college’s High Winds Fund assisted in the project’s design phases and in working with city planners, including helping with public engagement and keeping local businesses and residents updated during construction. The High Winds Fund’s mission is to “maintain and improve the beauty, serenity, and security of the area surrounding the campus of Macalester College.”

HGA is the architect on the project and McGough Construction is the general contractor.

Student residents in the building’s top four levels will have “pod units” that will mainly feature single bedrooms, common lounge areas, full kitchens and private-stall bathrooms and showers.Funding

Officials with Macalester College requested $2.57 million from the state during the 2026 legislative session to help fund the project and other sustainable projects, but it was not approved this session.

“We are disappointed for ourselves and for the other Minnesota organizations that had strong, ready-to-build clean energy projects in that package,” said Erika Schwichtenberg, Macalester’s director of foundation, government, corporate relations and sponsored programs, in a statement. “But we are deeply grateful to the legislators, staff, and advocates who fought for this work, and we remain committed to seeing the geothermal and solar components through.”

The project has received more than $10 million in private donations, according to Rivera, and the college also may apply for grants based on its use of geothermal and solar energy.

“We are now actively pursuing alternative funding sources to close the gap — including private philanthropy, foundation support, federal and utility energy programs, and other mechanisms,” Schwichtenberg said. “The project moves forward.”