NYUAD students to move into Sama Tower

The first freshman class of NYU Abu Dhabi will soon be moving into their new luxurious dorms in the 46-story Sama Tower.

NYUAD faculty and staff will begin to move into the top floors beginning in March. Students will arrive in August.

The tower, is located in a mixed residential, retail and commercial neighborhood in downtown Dhabi.

While 16 of the floors in the building will be used by NYUAD, the rest of the floors will be available for rent to the general public.

The Tower was leased to partners of NYU that are helping to fund the university's expansion into the city until its Saadiyat Island campus is complete.

NYUAD partners are covering the costs to retrofit the building to suit the university's needs as a residence hall.

"It was important to us to provide housing close to the downtown campus, yet they were able to identify a terrific space for us," senior director for international communications Josh Taylor said.

Students will be offered apartment-style rooms with the option of studio or two-bedroom dorms, which will house two or four students, respectively. Studio apartments resemble traditional dorms, while two-bedroom dorms resemble suites.

"It's a considerable size for only two people," said Adam Pivirotto, a senior at Granby High School in Norfolk, Va. who was recently admitted to NYUAD. "I like my privacy. On top of the great education that's being offered, having a nice place to come home to is really exciting."

A refrigerator and microwave are included in each space, and students will be able to access wireless Internet in their dorms.

"I've never seen dorms like the ones that were in Abu Dhabi," said Mohamed Essam Ashmawy, an 11th-year student at Dar el Tarbia IGCSE in Egypt.

Ashmawy attended the latest candidate weekend on Feb. 18.

"They give you the feeling of being in a college dorm yet it makes you sense that you are staying at your own luxurious apartment," he said. "They have everything a student would want in a dorm."

Each floor will have a TV lounge, laundry machines and storage space.

The mezzanine level holds a student dining hall that NYUAD administrators hope won't just be frequented by students.

Associate vice chancellor for campus life and dean of students James Larimore hopes this will help foster relationships between students and faculty, as faculty and staff will join students for meals.

The fourth floor will have a health center, multi-faith space and fitness center which has space for yoga, Pilates and spinning, free weights and fitness machines. Additional space for student government and student organizations will be located on this floor.

The fifth floor will serve as the campus lounge, with pool tables, ping pong tables and video game consoles. It will also include a mail center, e-mail kiosks, music practice rooms, study rooms, computer lab, student group meeting rooms, and a large multipurpose room for student activities.

The building will use a swipe card system, and there will be a concierge and security guards in the lobby.

NYUAD will gear programming to building a sense of community for its first-year students, and to helping students make the transition to a rigorous academic climate. Also, similar to NYU's Washington Square, the university will create programs to help students explore Abu Dhabi.

"Student housing is integral to building a strong community and to fostering interaction between an incredibly diverse student body," Taylor said. "Abu Dhabi, like New York, is a very tough housing market, and it is important that we provide comfortable housing in proximity to our campus."