HOUGHTON - Imagine living in a brand-new building complete with a fitness center, large patio, fireplaces, lots of natural light and covered bicycle racks. For future Michigan Technological University upper classmen and graduate students, this could be a reality.

In April, Tech's Board of Control authorized the university to proceed with final design and bidding for a $16.5 million, 192-bed, apartment-style student housing facility to be built behind West McNair Hall. If the board votes to finalize the project at its May meeting, construction will begin shortly afterward, said Tech Vice President for Student Affairs Les Cook.

The new dorm is needed due to an increased demand for on-campus housing, a trend Michigan Tech and other universities around the nation have noticed.

"Even if enrollment flattened out, we still have the demand for housing," Cook said. "No matter what we build, they will fill it."

The features of the new apartments are meant to provide students with the "upscale" amenities that students and parents are now expecting from universities, Cook said. The apartment units will feature four bedrooms, two bathrooms and a combined great room and kitchen area. Meanwhile, the building itself has a "northwoods feel" and mirrors the Copper Country's landscape.

Looking at a schematic drawing of the building, Cook pointed at the profile of the building that features an angled silver wall.

"This kind of mirrors, looks like, the Quincy Mine," he said.

Wood features will be throughout the building, with at least one wall made from reclaimed wood from Lake Superior, Cook said.

"They're trying to do as much sustainable building as they can," he said, explaining that recycled materials will likely be used for floor coverings.

All in all, Cook said the new hall will please students.

"They will be quite posh, I'm thinking," Cook said. "There's a lot of enthusiasm from students for the project."

Layla Aslani can be reached at laslani@mininggazette.com.