Marshall, Texas

Key Players 

Owner East Texas Baptist University

Lead Design Firm Architecture Demarest

General Contractor JE Dunn Construction

Structural Engineer United Structural Consultants Inc.

Civil Engineer Cain Consulting and Engineering Services

MEP Engineer Jordan & Skala Engineers

Centennial Hall, a new dorm for East Texas Baptist University, is now the largest residential hall on campus. The 125,000-sq-ft, fourstory building includes 84 fourbedroom, suite-style units with two full baths and 26 one-bedroom units with a full bath.

A highlight of the new building is the three-story central area, which includes a grand entry with a custom staircase, large study rooms, offices for the staff, laundry rooms, student lounges and two large game rooms.

The goal of the design team was to have Centennial Hall mimic the appearance of the recently constructed Ornelas Student Services Center, which is directly across the street and was also built by JE Dunn. The design and construction teams worked directly with the brick supplier to provide a customized, king-size, wire-rubbed brick that would match the color of the student center.

But using the custom brick presented its own challenges in coordinating the coursing with the overall elevation of the windows and cast stone. The stone was also custom matched to the stone on the student center.

Construction progressed in the middle of an active campus with an enrollment of 1,200-plus students. Coordination of deliveries, loading and general work on the east side of the project had to be coordinated with campus officials on a weekly and sometimes daily basis. The project also included some initial demolition from previous projects located on adjacent sites. All work was completed with minimal or no disruptions to daily campus activity.

Centennial Hall was the first project on which JE Dunn used the Zip Wall System, an integrated water resistant and air barrier system that streamlines the weatherization process and transforms it with a simple two-step installation. This product helped cut down on labor, material costs and time, trimming the schedule by three weeks.