92 / / 93 憭㝕⛿㶇䑑剹ꯗ2.0曭 UM Residential College Education 2.0 睙┩ꌄ | PART III RC 2.0 has two major enhancements in terms of facilities and operations: the construction of addi t ional floors and the improvement of the dining system. The number of undergraduates has surpassed 7,000 in recent years, due to growth in student population. Concurrently, the demand for accommodation for local undergraduates, who account for over 70 per cent of the student population, is also on the rise. It is therefore necessary to increase the accommodation capacity in the RCs. As free open physical space is becoming scarce on the campus, the most economically efficient way is undoubtedly to build additional floors on top of the 10 existing RCs. The project has invited Professor He Jingtang, the original architect of the campus, and his team to be the design team. The aim is to build a small number of additional floors in each college, without compromising the overall campus landscape and ecology. Starting in the summer of 2021, the project is scheduled to be completed in five years’ time. By then, more than 1,000 additional bedspaces will be made available; this brings the occupancy rate to 80 per cent, an ideal target addressing the needs of UM’s students. The communal meal function of the dining halls remains unchanged, but their mode of operation has been optimised, from the former rigid system of basic meal provision to a more flexible and market-oriented catering service, with the university providing a communal meal allowance to encourage students to dine together collegiately in their respective RCs. The aim is to create an educational environment in the RC community and enhance their nurturing role as a learning platform through communal dining. It is expected that the new system will bring new opportunities for tendering, allowing more high-quality local food SME caterers to bid, increasing choice for students, and optimising their dining experience in the RCs.
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