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WINSTON-SALEM — Two new residence halls will be built on the north end of Wake Forest University's campus, pending approval from the board of trustees at its February meeting.

If the trustees approve the project, officials will move quickly to begin construction, with the goal of having the residence halls ready for students by fall 2013, said Jim Alty, the associate vice president for facilities and campus services.

The residence halls, which would each measure 75,000 square feet, would be built on 10 acres between a large parking lot off Wake Forest Road and the Polo Residence Hall.

Alty declined to say how much the project would cost.

Trustees are expected to vote on the project at their meeting on Feb. 1 and 2.

The residence halls would add a combined 480 beds, fulfilling a need to provide more on-campus living space for students, said Donna McGalliard, the dean of residence life and housing.

Under a policy that began with this year's freshman class, students are required to live on campus for three years, a move that officials hope will discourage students from leaving campus for social events and build community on campus.

Other schools, including Duke and Vanderbilt, have similar residency requirements.

"Research proves that having more of your population live with you creates a greater sense of vibrancy on campus," McGalliard said. "Upperclassmen can act as role models for students younger than them. It's about being engaged not just academically but out of the classroom as well."

The new residence halls would be for upperclassmen, creating an intentional geographical divide with freshmen who live on the south end of campus, she said.

Many sophomores live in residence halls on the main quad in the central part of the campus.

In response to input from students, the new residence halls would be suite-style rooms for groups of four, six or eight people, McGalliard said.

"You do get to live with friends in smaller areas as opposed to those long hallways, which are great for building community for first-year students, but as students progress, they want to live with a smaller friendship group," she said.

The spot that was chosen for the planned residence halls comes from the university's master plan, which identified potential building areas on campus.

To serve the students who may one day live in the new residence halls, a new dining hall may be added, but that idea is still being explored, McGalliard said.

If the project is approved, it would represent another shift in the landscape on the campus's north side. Farrell Hall, the new business school, is also expected to be ready for the start of the 2013-14 school year. The 120,000-square-foot building will be near the Polo Road entrance to the school.