BDB Construction Enterprise has led the major transformation of a former high-rise hotel, reinventing it as the world’s tallest student residence. In New York’s Financial District, the tower at 99 Washington Street — formerly a 492-key hotel recognized as the Holiday Inn brand’s tallest property — has become a highly innovative 650-bed dormitory complex. A model for addressing the crisis of student housing affordability, the cost-effective solution took only 6 weeks to partial occupancy, overcoming structural limitations, roof rework, and low floor-to-ceiling heights in dorm rooms requiring creative venting strategies for new electrical clothes dryers. Sustainable and student-friendly, the renovated building boasts new finishes and smart cosmetic upgrades to all rooms and common areas, and a reimagining of shared spaces and amenities including communal kitchens and dining areas, a fitness center, and shared study zones to better serve a student resident population.