Construction workers are putting the finishing touches on Peavine Hall as the clock counts down to move-in day at the University of Nevada, Reno.

Expected to be the University's first LEED Gold certified building, Peavine Hall opens to students for the fall 2015 semester. A grand opening and public preview will be held at 10 a.m., Thursday, Aug. 13.

Contributing to the LEED Gold standard requirements for promoting renewable, clean energy and positive impact to the health of occupants, Peavine Hall features energy efficient mechanical systems, LED lighting, low water-flow fixtures, and low-emission vehicle parking. State of the art security systems, secure bicycle storage and a gender neutral restroom round out special construction features.

Recycled materials, including bricks considered to be some of the most valuable in Reno taken from a bungalow on North Sierra Street which housed Nevada Humanities, add to the marriage of high tech, present-day construction and rich, cultural contributions of the past. The hall will also house the pool table removed from Lincoln Hall's recreation room.

With 3,100 students expected to reside in on-campus housing this year, Peavine Hall, located at the corner of Sierra and 11th Streets north of Sierra Hall, will help keep up with the increasing demand for student housing. Accommodating 600 mostly freshman students this year in suite-style rooms of three students each, plans call for the wellness-themed hall to service approximately 400 student as additional residence hall capacity is developed in the coming years.

With an emphasis on healthy living, Peavine Hall's wellness-themed educational opportunities enable students to prioritize health and wellness activities. Students will form wellness teams with small groups and student staff members to challenge and support each other in their progress toward personal wellness.

This focus on student health and wellness reflects research findings showing the four-year graduation rate for students who reside on campus for at least one year is 24 percent higher than the graduation rate for all students.

"Nationally, and on our campus, there is consistent evidence that new students of all backgrounds living on campus are more likely to persist and graduate than students who live off campus," Rod Aeschlimann, executive director of Residential Life, Housing and Food Services, said. "Peavine Hall addresses several key institutional goals by creating an environment that will encourage students to stay connected with the University community."

Construction began in spring 2014, and more than 760 individuals working in the construction trades have had a hand in building the hall. According to Jim Larrieu of Sundt Construction, Inc., the general contractor on the project, direct wages paid to the onsite workforce, not including design team members or suppliers, totaled approximately $8 million, providing a boost to the local economy.

Mark Parker, a superintendent for Standard Drywall, Inc., has been working on Peavine Hall for more than a year. His daughter Jillian, a freshman who wants to study elementary education, moves into Peavine Hall on move-in day, Aug. 20.

"When I got the email that said I got into Peavine, I was so excited," she said. "It will be sort of like leaving a legacy being among the first to live in Peavine, and rewarding to my dad, who spent a whole year making it."