PROVO — Brigham Young University's overhaul of student housing took another step forward Tuesday with school officials announcing that two of the residence halls in the landmark Deseret Towers complex will be razed.

No date has been set for the work and a contractor has not yet been selected, but university officials indicated the demolition will proceed in a "timely manner."

The other five buildings at Deseret Towers will remain in service for the coming school year, though they are expected to be vacated and razed as well over the next two years.

The university has not yet decided how to replace Deseret Towers, saying it is still investigating the changing needs and desires of students before determining what type of facility to select. Any long-term decisions are not likely to come before the housing master plan is completed and there is no timetable for when that might happen.

"We want to take our time and we want to be careful," BYU spokeswoman Carri Jenkins said.

BYU is experimenting with a pair of pilot programs where the emphasis is on moving from dormitory-style housing to apartment housing. BYU Housing employees said BYU has seen rising vacancy rates in its on-campus dormitories, particularly Deseret Towers.

"Although we will need more time to study this issue, we are seeing a trend that students are requesting more apartment-style living versus the traditional room-and-board," Julie Franklin, director of residence life at BYU, said in a statement.

For the coming year, the university has displaced nearly half of the students in Wyview, its apartment complex built in the 1990s for married students, to make room for single students.

The remaining married students at Wyview have been given until July 1, 2007, to vacate so the complex can be devoted entirely to single student housing for the 2007 school year.

Jenkins said student response to the Wyview option has been positive and those apartments are full for the coming year.

BYU has also signed two deals with private property owners as part of a second pilot program, which makes those complexes exclusive for the use of BYU students.

The first was signed with Alpine Village, a 159-condominium project being built west of campus that is expected to be completed by fall 2007. Centennial Apartments, located south of campus, also recently signed such an agreement.

"In these arrangements, the private property owner will work closely with the university in providing appropriate housing," Jenkins said.

The arrangements allow BYU to directly train employees at the complexes regarding BYU policies and services, Jenkins said.