University Residence

Vanderbilt is dedicated to creating a campus that is as interconnected, immersive and accessible as possible. To reinforce these values, and to celebrate the university as an engaging living-learning community, Interim Chancellor and Provost Susan R. Wente is leading an effort, along with the Board of Trust, to establish a new university residence that will be centrally located on Vanderbilt’s campus.

In addition to aligning with Vanderbilt’s Academic Strategic Plan and FutureVU, the new residence will uphold our goals in residential education, sustainability and transportation. It will also reflect our university’s rich history, as Vanderbilt chancellors traditionally lived on campus prior to the acquisition of Braeburn, our current university residence, in 1964.

Braeburn

Vanderbilt’s current university residence, formally known as Braeburn, has been used primarily as a meeting and event venue for the last 12 years – due largely to its location, which is significantly removed from our otherwise interconnected campus. As part of FutureVU, the university has carefully assessed the purpose and current use of the property, resulting in a plan to sell Braeburn and use the proceeds to construct a new university residence that will have a more immediate impact on students, faculty, staff and the overall One Vanderbilt community.

Expanding the Living-Learning Community

The new residence will uphold Vanderbilt’s growing emphasis on living-learning communities, wherein students and faculty live side by side, extending learning and collaboration beyond the classroom. This model has proven effective in a range of buildings across campus, including the Dean of the Commons residence, the Martha Rivers Ingram Commons and our new residential colleges, and has engaged students, faculty, staff and university leaders in new ways.

There is a unique opportunity for the chancellor’s residence to further extend this approach by providing another on-campus space for learning and discovery.

An Investment in Sustainability and a Walkable Location

The new residence would include utility services and energy sources that are modern and efficient, allowing the building to tie into upgraded infrastructure on the campus as appropriate. The residence will be designed and built to last more than 100 years, creating an enduring investment in our campus and our mission to bring people together, forging connections in support of our academic mission.

In addition, the university seeks to construct the residence on land it already owns: an area adjacent to the Martha Rivers Ingram Commons that is walkable to and from all campus neighborhoods. This walkability factor would support FutureVU’s sustainability and transportation goals to shift away from vehicular transportation towards more sustainable forms of mobility.

Read about the sale of Braeburn in the February 2020 MyVU story.

If you have questions, comments or concerns regarding the plans for the university residence, please contact the Facilities team here.