Two future construction projects progressed this past week.

The new 12-story, $95 million east-side University of Iowa dormitory on Madison Street is projected to be finished during the summer of 2017 and open that fall.

In addition, the new UI Museum of Art is expected to open in 2018; the original was damaged in the 2008 flood.

“The residence hall will house approximately 1,000 students, and the building — including dining and student service facilities — will be approximately 300,000 gross square feet,” said Rod Lehnertz, the director of planning, design, and construction for UI Facilities Management.

Lehnertz said the museum project is in the early design phase and the final size has yet to be determined, but discussions will be had this summer.

The two companies, BNIM Architects and H+H Development, the named architect and developer for the new museum, have not planned an estimated budget and rendering yet. The private H+H, which owns the site for the museum project, will deliver the new museum project.

The new location for the museum will be on the southeast corner of Burlington and Clinton Streets, just across from the new Voxman Music Building.

The proposed residence hall will take the site of the old Iowa City Water Plant, which is in the process of being demolished.

“The new dorm is not intended to encourage in-state enrollment; both are intended to address current and anticipate space needs for incoming freshmen and the returning students who want to continue to reside on campus,” Lehnertz said. “These are the first new residence halls built on campus in 45 years, and the campus needs to provide more and more modern residence halls. They will also allow the UI to limit the number of leased units from local private apartment owners.”

As for the new art museum, it will contain modernized educational and demonstration spaces as well as classrooms that will be embedded in the gallery spaces.

Sean O’Harrow, the director of the UI Art Museum, said he wants the new museum to be different from other institutions.

“What we want to do is give people the real experience,” he said. “We would like to have a museum that has plenty of study space. We want to make it the most comfortable place to go for students.”

The main objective for the new museum facility is to incorporate displayed art in studying spaces. The focus is to have students become acquainted with the art and galleries. 

Currently all artwork that was displayed at the old location of the UI Art Museum is being temporarily held at several different buildings, including the IMU and the Figge Art Museum in Davenport.

Von Stange, the assistant vice president for Student Life and senior director of University Housing and Dining, said more information on the Madison Street residence hall will be announced after the state Board of Regents’ meeting in Iowa City on March 11.