Graduate students began moving last month into the new Lakeside apartments, a cluster of 329 units that will house more than 700 students and family members.
The complex of 13 buildings was designed with shared spaces such as large grassy areas, a community garden, and basketball and volleyball courts to promote a sense of community, said Andrew Kane, assistant vice president for residential and business services. A central Commons includes lounges, study rooms, computer and fitness rooms, and a children’s playroom. Units range from one bedroom/one bath to four bedrooms/three baths and will be LEED silver-certified; they use geothermal heating and cooling and are 40 percent more energy-efficient than the Hibben and Magie apartment buildings they replaced on the 13-acre site bounded by Lake Carnegie and Faculty Road near the Dinky tracks.
Kane estimated that 350 Lakeside residents have moved from the Butler apartments, which are being torn down. The Graduate Student Government noted in a statement the “challenges” that resulted from Lakeside’s opening a year behind schedule, but said it is “an impressive step toward guaranteeing quality housing for all Princeton graduate students.”