NEW Hall, Scripps College’s newest residence hall on its northeastern most border of campus, is open and ready for students who are moving in today. Under construction since May 2015, the residence will house first-year as well as returning students.
Designed in harmony with the distinctive Mediterranean style of Scripps’ existing architecture, NEW Hall encompasses approximately 38,700 square feet, with beds for 110 students. The building is designed to LEED gold standards, featuring low-flow water fixtures, high-efficiency lighting, ENERGY STAR® appliances, and drip irrigation.
NEW Hall was made possible by a generous $10 million lead gift from an anonymous donor and is a hallmark project of the College’s multi-year fundraising campaign, More Scripps: The Campaign for Scripps College. An official dedication of the building is planned for October 7.
NEW Hall is Scripps College’s first residence hall with a design that promotes community building by creation of a bocce court, outdoor seating for gathering of more than twos or threes which doubles as outdoor group study areas, additional nooks which allow for small group engagement and study areas.
“In addition to being a state of the art facility, NEW Hall allows us to house nearly 100% of our students on campus, increasing the opportunities to enrich students’ co-curricular experience in ways that embrace our identity as a residential college. The Student Affairs team is excited to have NEW Hall on line as we launch new student initiatives focused on the learning that takes place in a residential setting where a holistic educational experience is a priority,” said Charlotte Johnson, vice president for student affairs who serves as dean of students.
Crystal Weintrub, Scripps’ sustainability coordinator, notes the following initiatives are being used to pursue LEED gold designation by the USGBC:
- Solar panels
- LED lighting
- LLC
- Energy Star appliances
- Storm water retention system
- Low flow fixtures (faucets and lavs)
- Locally sourced building materials
- Interface carpet tiles
- Recycled structural building materials were used throughout the building
- Percentage of construction waste was diverted from landfill (awaiting final numbers)
- 50% FSC certified wood
- Indoor bicycle storage
- Priority alternative parking
- Permeable pavers
- Edible landscape
- Drought tolerant plant material
- Drip and deep watering irrigation systems
- Recirculating fountain
- Low VOC sealants, adhesives, paints and finishes
- Recycling/Composting
- Real time energy, gas, and water metering (Lucid technologies)
- Buildings that educate signage
- Passive heating and cooling design
- Natural daylighting of space
The USGBC international conference has offered Scripps as a tour destination for its attendees on October 3, according to Lola Trafecanty, director of grounds at Scripps. The classically designed buildings are an attraction for visitors, as is the artful blending of modern sustainability practices in NEW Hall. “We build buildings that last and are classical in design, therefore, reducing potential demolition waste and raw material extraction and conversion which expends energy, disruption to residents and community. Our original buildings are still standing and occupied,” Trefacanty said.