KTGY Designed 332-Bed Student Housing Development Celebrates Grand Opening at the University of Wyoming

KTGY announces the grand opening of a new KTGY-designed eco-friendly 332-bed student housing community at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, known as Bison Run Village. The developer is American Campus Communities, Inc. (NYSE:ACC), one of the largest owners, managers and developers of high-quality student housing properties in the U.S. End Quote

Cheyenne, WY (1888PressRelease) August 16, 2012 - Award-winning KTGY Group, Inc., Architecture and Planning, is pleased to announce the grand opening celebration of a new 332-bed student housing community at the University of Wyoming (UW) in Laramie, known as Bison Run Village. Located at 2512 Willet Drive in Laramie, the 15 residential buildings were completed last week and the 4,000-square-foot community center, combined with maintenance facilities, are now in use. The developer is American Campus Communities, Inc. (NYSE:ACC), one of the largest owners, managers and developers of high-quality student housing properties in the U.S.

The new community features 84 apartment homes, which consists mostly of 4 bedrooms and 3 baths in primarily a townhouse-neighborhood with some flats situated near the community center. The apartments are rented by the bedroom and feature shared kitchen, dining, and living room spaces with single, private bedrooms and private or semi-private bathrooms.

"The development will be home to undergraduate and graduate students in fully furnished apartments and offers single-occupancy bedrooms with a mix of private and shared bathrooms," said Michael Ohara, AIA and principal in KTGY's Denver office. "Bison Run Village will help the University of Wyoming housing program provide their student residents a graduated product cycle in a variety of price points."

"Students are now able to live in townhomes while still on campus, and have a high level of privacy within each unit," said KTGY's Principal David Senden, located in the firm's Irvine office. "Common space is on the ground level with three-quarters of the bedrooms upstairs. Two bedrooms have private baths and two share a bath. Varying accommodations provide higher and lower rent opportunities to meet budgets and needs more specifically than a one-size fits all scenario."

"The new student housing community has met the requirements of LEED Silver status on the ever greening campus," noted KTGY's Dan McAllister, NCARB and principal, based in the firm's Irvine office. "High-efficiency room and water heating, use of recycled materials, low VOC paints and materials as well as covered bicycle storage are just a few examples of sustainable approaches KTGY used to further the design. Low-flow fixtures and reduced water consumption in landscape areas will go a long way toward saving ever diminishing clean water supplies."

Outdoor amenities include large open spaces with walkways linking to adjacent on- campus residential neighborhoods, the community center, transportation nodes and a bicycle way to the main campus located on the west side of the War Memorial Stadium and directly across the street from Cowboy Field, baseball stadium. Shops and hotels are nearby within easy walking distance.

Located on the southeast corner of the site, the community building connects to the community's main pedestrian pathway, which provides pedestrian access to the University shuttle system stop adjacent to the community. The community building is designed for student recreation and residence life programming and will also function as a visitor/administrative center for the University's student amenities. The facility includes meeting/study rooms, a mail center, and social lounge with a gaming area. It also houses a laundry room facility for use by residents of the adjacent existing University apartments. Exterior community amenities include a barbeque pavilion and bike storage.

"The fabric of the campus has been continuously improving over the years on this 125-year-old University," said McAllister. "With a population of over 13,000 students from all 50 states and more than 90 countries, housing is a premium and integral to the educational objectives of the University." Recognized as 5th in America's Best College Buys, University of Wyoming is among the nation's top universities ranked by U.S. News & World Report and Forbes.

The architecture reflects the vast open spaces surrounding the City of Laramie with natural colors and stone to blend with major buildings on and off the campus. Buildings with battened siding and stone combined with gable roofs and covered porches provide a backdrop to outdoor activity on warm days and comfortable interiors for blustery winter days. A covered outdoor kitchen and casual dining area accommodates prairie cookouts for the Cowboys and Cowgirls of the University of Wyoming.

Petra Construction of Meridian, ID, is the general contractor. The University serves as the property manager.

"This project is a great example of how KTGY is able to service our clients nationally from our offices across the country," said Ohara. "Clients should know that they can get design expertise and market knowledge from any of our offices as they move across the country into different markets."

KTGY has completed nearly 5,000 beds for the University of California, Irvine (UCI) with American Campus Communities as the third-party developer. The most recent designs are LEED Gold certified. KTGY recently completed a 379-bed mixed-use student housing and retail development for the University of La Verne in La Verne, Calif., with Hanover Pacific, LLC of Irvine as the developer, and students move in on August 20. Earlier in the year, KTGY completed 400 beds at the Santa Clara University (SCU) in northern California with developer The Sobrato Organization of Cupertino, Calif.

Presently, KTGY is under construction with a new, mixed-use, 183,000-square-foot graduate student housing project to be developed by Hanover Pacific, in downtown Pomona, Calif., adjacent to the campus of Western University of Health Sciences (WesternU), which will feature 348 beds along with approximately 10,000 square feet to be used by WesternU.

About the University of Wyoming (UW)
Founded in 1886, UW has a rich history as the state's only provider of baccalaureate and graduate education, research, and outreach services. Nestled between two mountain ranges in southeastern Wyoming, UW offers varied academic and lifestyle opportunities including year-round cultural and recreational activities. Located in Laramie, a town of more than 30,800 with a unique blend of sophistication and western hospitality, UW draws over 13,000 students from all 50 states and more than 90 countries. Recognized as 5th in America's Best College Buys, UW offers 197 areas of study, a small student/faculty ratio, and renowned faculty, and is among the nation's top universities ranked by U.S. News & World Report and Forbes. As a nationally recognized research institution, UW's global impact begins at our very own doorstep with innovative undergraduate and graduate research opportunities. UW provides an environment for success. See www.uwyo.edu.

About American Campus Communities
American Campus Communities, Inc. is the largest owner and manager of high-quality student housing communities in the United States. The company is a fully integrated, self-managed and self-administered equity real estate investment trust (REIT) with expertise in the design, finance, development, construction management, and operational management of student housing properties. American Campus Communities owns 124 student housing properties containing approximately 76,200 beds. Including its owned and third-party managed properties, ACC's total managed portfolio consists of 153 properties with approximately 99,900 beds. Visit www.americancampus.com or www.studenthousing.com.

About KTGY Group
Celebrating 20 years, KTGY Group, Inc., Architecture and Planning, provides comprehensive planning and award-winning architectural design services for residential communities, retail, hospitality, mixed-use and related specialty developments. KTGY delivers innovative solutions that reflect clear understanding of development, market trends and financial performance and takes particular pride in its highly motivated and principal led studios. Serving clients worldwide, KTGY maintains offices in Irvine, Oakland and Santa Monica, Calif., Denver, Colo., and Tysons Corner, Va. See www.ktgy.com.

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