Solar Power Cells, Hot Water, Energy, Collectors

Building a Greener Dorm

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Energy consumption in the new cottages is expected to be reduced 75 percent compared to the current structures, even though the new facilities will house more students than the old. 

Shearin reports that the plans have been in development for almost three years. Indeed, a story was posted about the project on the College’s web site last year , stressing the education and research potential of the new facility. William & Mary president Taylor Reveley formally announced the project on Earth Day, 2010.

Each of the seven new cottages (above left) will house nine students. In addition, one cottage in the village will house The Daily Grind, a popular campus coffee shop and hangout that has been a fixture in The Lodges.

I have to admit that part of me has a nagging ambivalence about the demolition of the old Lodges, which have apparently played a notable role in the campus’s history. I can’t help but wonder if the College looked hard enough at the option of green rehabs, which would have provided many of the same benefits without incurring the same loss. On the other hand, the architecture of the Lodges (above right) resembles postwar suburbia more than most people’s notions of classic Williamsburg history, and it’s not like the community doesn’t already have an abundance of historic properties of great cultural value. The College is apparently considering retaining one of the old structures for the sake of legacy, and that might be a decent compromise.

Source: The Atlantic Cities