Riverside, Calif.-R.D. Olson Construction, an Irvine-based firm, has begun work on a 287,000-square-foot dormitory near the University of California, Riverside. R.D. Olson Construction, specialists in building hotels, office complexes and country clubs, will provide the pre-construction, coordination and consultation, and construction management services for the $25 million complex.

The complex will sit upon a 12-acre site on the corner of Iowa and Linden in Riverside. It was designed by Lee & Sakahara Architects to include six four-story buildings with a student center, swimming pool and barbecue amenities. The dormitories will house 760 one-two-and three-bedroom units, each with a private bath and kitchen. The student center will include study halls, lobby, bistro, recreation area, health club, kitchen with adjoining vending arcade, presentation room, administrative offices, and golf cart storage facility. A 200-foot decorative trellis colonnade will skirt the exterior walls, complementing the structure's homey atmosphere.

"This complex will provide students with comfortable living quarters that have a lot of contemporary amenities," said Dennis Reyling, president, R.D. Olson Construction.

The dormitory complex is owned by GrandMarc Riverside, LP. It is expected to be completed by July 2001.