Dickinson College in Carlisle, Pa., is breaking ground today on its first new residence hall in nearly 40 years.
The three-story 40,500-square-foot building will house 120 students. Deborah Berke Partners, the project's architect, says in a news release that the building will feature a northern limestone façade. The southern face of the building will have a transparent glass and zinc façade that fronts a mixed, residential and college neighborhood.
The E-shaped plan opens all rooms and corridors to natural light and views; the plan also creates a pair of outdoor courtyards that will serve as collegial gathering spaces.
The facility's corridors and staircases will double as lounges and study nooks and provide opportunities for informal socializing as well as quiet work and contemplation.
Deborah Berke Partners and landscape architect Andropogon have created a sustainable site strategy for the building and will pursue a LEED Platinum rating from the U.S. Green Building Council.
Sustainable elements incorporated into the building plan include on-site stormwater retention through a series of native-plant rain gardens; use of locally sourced limestone; a high-performance building envelope; low-flow fixtures; high-efficiency appliances; materials with high pre- and post-consumer recycled content; and energy recovery ventilators.
Energy consumption on each floor will be metered separately so that students can measure their resource use by zones.
The building is scheduled to be complete in fall 2018.
