Augustana University Opens New, Modern Apartments For New School Year

For Augustana University students moving into Foundation Heights this fall, the new apartment-style building offered something many college students only hope for: modern housing, space to gather and a little extra room to make campus feel like home.

For Lloyd Construction, delivering that experience meant keeping a carefully planned project on schedule from the first day of construction to student move-in.“It was something that Lloyd and Augustana had talked about for a while,” said Blake Jans, project manager at Lloyd Companies. “It was years in the making.”

The result is a four-story, 45,000-square-foot building with 43 units and 104 beds, completed in time for students to move in before the start of the 2026-27 school year.

Construction began in June 2025 and finished in July 2026. The turnover date established at the beginning of the project never changed, Jans said, and the building ultimately was ready about a week early.“It was really making sure all our subcontractors were on the same page,” he said. “Hitting small milestone dates led to the end date, and we got off to a good start. That carried throughout the project. A lot of things fell into place, and it turned out the way we wanted it to.”

For Augustana, Foundation Heights helps meet a growing need tied to the university’s Viking Bold strategic plan and record enrollment.

“We were at the point where we had to create more on-campus housing to fulfill the need of having all those students,” said Jon Martin, campus facilities manager at Augustana.

The university’s student housing has been full in recent years, he added. Strong recruiting and an 85 percent retention rate from first to second year contributed to the need for additional beds.“Our student housing has been full the last couple years, so it was definitely something needed to help alleviate the crunch,” Martin said.

Foundation Heights primarily serves upperclassmen, though that happened through Augustana’s housing selection process rather than by rule, Martin said.

The project also carries a personal connection for Lloyd Companies and Augustana.

Craig Lloyd, the late co-founder of Lloyd Companies, was a longtime member of Augustana’s Board of Trustees, and the building’s name honors his legacy and vision for the campus.“Lloyd has been a partner with Augustana for a long time,” Martin said. “Craig Lloyd was a member of our Board of Trustees until his death, and it was a vision of his to have this apartment building, which is why it’s named Foundation Heights.”

While Lloyd brought extensive multifamily construction experience to the project, student housing on an active college campus created its own considerations.

“The multifamily experience definitely helps because we treated the construction timeline similarly, but it was unique,” Jans said.

“Our architect, VanDeWalle, put a lot of thought into the finishes. The exterior finishes were higher-end with the siding that was used, and it has a flat roof, so it had some cool, unique aspects that made it both challenging and fun from a construction standpoint.”Durability also was important.

“Every finish was thought out. Selections were mad with the look and long-term performance of the space in mind,” Jans said. “From the solid doors to the hardware and flooring, we chose durable, high-quality products that will serve them well for years to come. It’s an investment in the longevity of the building.”

The first floor includes a large lobby area designed to support the sense of community Augustana wanted in the building.

“They furnished it with a lot of different tables and booths, and there’s an island of TVs, so it becomes a nice gathering space,” Jans said.

That was intentional, Martin said.

“We wanted an open and airy feel with large windows and places for students to gather,” he said. “Even though it’s an apartment-style building, we still wanted community involvement in it.”The building also includes thoughtful design features for students.

“It’s a fabulous building, nicer than anything I would have had in college,” Martin said. “I was able to talk to some students after they had been in there a few weeks, and they love it.”

One unique feature is that even in a two-bedroom, one-bathroom unit, each student has a dedicated sink, creating a personal space for daily routines and belongings.

“That’s something students appreciate once they’re living there,” Martin said.

The project site, near 28th Street and Grange Avenue, also required attention to nearby residents.

“We had to think about the surrounding neighbors, making sure they were aware of anything that would impact them,” Jans said. “We definitely had to be cognizant of that.”

Lloyd’s team kept the site clean and worked to minimize disruption, Martin said, which helped as neighbors adjusted to a new four-story building in an area that previously included single-family homes.

“They made it as easy as possible for the neighbors to move along with minimal disruption,” he said.

Augustana’s campus safety team also helped monitor the site after hours, Jans added.

“The whole project went as seamlessly as it could have,” he said. “They were awesome to work with.”

Communication was a key part of keeping the project on track. Martin was available for calls when questions came up, and the project team met every other week to review progress.

“We all knew the goal was to have students move into that building on Aug. 1 of 2026, and it was laid out, and that was a very achievable goal,” Martin said. “The team at Lloyd was wonderful at regularly communicating, and they were able to achieve that without any issues.”

The project came in on budget, he added, aided by a smooth construction process.

“We were fortunate we didn’t run into any supply chain issues out of anyone’s control, and they were just great,” Martin said.

For Lloyd, the project reinforced the value of collaboration among the owner, construction team and subcontractors.

“My biggest takeaway is it was all-around good communication and collaboration between us and Augustana and the subcontractors, which made it fun,” Jans said.

The experience strengthened Augustana’s long-standing relationship with Lloyd Construction, Martin said.Lloyd currently is working on two other campus projects: remodeling Old Main, which has not had activity in it since the mid-1980s, and creating classroom space in the lower level of Tuve Hall.

“We’re using them currently for two other projects on campus, and that says a lot about our relationship as well,” Martin said. “My team from Lloyd was just very professional. We approached things the same way and just had a good time getting to our goal. I miss having those guys around.”