The Hive transformed 766 beds of student housing in two former hotel buildings to a new freshman and sophomore oriented housing campus complex. LS3P developed a phased implementation plan that allowed for replacement of the existing buildings over a 3 year period without any decrease in available beds. This was done by building one building in an underutilized parking area in Phase I. The first building created enough capacity to allow removal of two existing buildings. In their place, three new buildings were added in Phase 2. This created sufficient capacity to raze the remaining buildings and construct a new 725 space parking deck and four additional housing structures in Phases 3 and 4. The project also includes a 10,000 sf fitness facility and a pool complex.

The construction of each phase was carefully planned to start and end on 11 month intervals to coincide with the academic schedule. The project was complicated by a challenging site located in a flood zone with poor soil conditions. LS3P was able to utilize a dry flood-proofing design to limit the first floor to a lobby, parking and critical services in a conventional concrete frame. The upper four levels were constructed using panelized wood framing with stucco and cementitious exteriors.

The design was based on a campus of buildings to complement the adjacent Historic District in Savannah. Eight separate buildings that are similar in plan and style allowed the contractor to maintain efficiency of scale and repetition to reduce costs, but were altered and sited to create a urban campus feel. LS3P developed the initial programming, planning and budgeting as a consultant to SCAD. The design and construction documentation of the project was delivered using a Design-Build process with Clayco.