Spotlight: Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Editor’s Note: Spotlight is a recurring feature in this blog as well as Talking Stick magazine that focuses on newly-opened residence halls. Whether it is through design, construction, programs, or features, we look to put the spotlight on those deserving halls. To submit a hall from your campus, e-mail talkingstick@acuho-i.org.
Campus: Worcester Polytechnic Institute (Worcester, Massachusetts)
Name: East Hall
Opened: July 2008
Cost: $33 million (construction)
Architect: Cannon Design
When Worcester Polytechnic Institute set out to create East Hall, it was with the goal of attracting upperclass students to stay on campus. When completed, it certainly did that with 232 beds in a mix of single- and double-room suites and studio apartments. Students appreciated the building’s amenities and services such as laundry facilities, waste removal and recycling, a fitness room, academic study space, music practice rooms, a game room, and a parking garage. But the LEED Gold-certified building also made a strong statement to the campus’ sustainability commitment.
The structure boasts a number of energy-saving features: motion-controlled lighting and building sunscreens as well as sensors that minimize heating and cooling of apartments if they are empty for more than 12 hours or will minimize heating and cooling when apartment windows are opened. This is along with dual-flush toilets, low-flow shower heads, sustainable landscaping, and a dedicated storage area for bicycles. The building is topped by an Energy Star palletized green roof system, and includes a storm water monitoring/testing station located on the ground-floor lobby to educate students about the sustainable design and support the campus’ environmental science program.
The WPI community was involved in the green roof from the beginning as students, administrators, and the facilities’ groundskeepers traveled two hours to a nursery and planted more than 10,000 seedlings into 1,200 palettes for the roof. Completed, the green roof provides sound and thermal insulation for the building, absorbs some rainwater, reduces storm water runoff, and filters the air. The chives grown on the roof are even harvested by campus dining services for meals.
The sustainability features are also integral to the buildings aesthetics, illustrated through the signage and the wayfinding system. Each floor has its own LEED category theme, expressed in room signage and featured in educational information posted in the elevator lobbies.
Other portions of the engineering-oriented campus were involved throughout the construction process as well, turning the construction site into a giant classroom. Faculty and students sat in on the charrette process during design. They witnessed the process through weekly construction meetings with the architect, contractors, and campus administration. Civil engineering students modeled the building construction and used software to replicate the building’s appearance at different stages. Students even compared their theoretical schedules with the actual construction schedule.
The brainy and unique nature of the building even extends to the special film that covers the window glass in the first-floor fitness room. The film has a practical application in that it acts as a sunshade and also provides an implied privacy screen. It has a more mysterious purpose, however, as the film was laser cut with a graphic that represents the WPI “E to the X” cheer. (It involves 13 mathematical expressions. No, I don’t understand them.) It also includes the project’s completion date which isn’t uncommon cornerstone material in and of itself; but it’s those unique institutions like WPI that present the date in binary code.
Tags: Cannon Design, Design, Sustainability, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
As the Project Manager for Gilbane Building Co., I would like to add that the close collaberation throughout the entire project between our team, WPI and Cannon Design really made the project a huge success. WPI now has a Residence Hall they can be very proud of for years to come.
As Dean of Students at WPI and a member of the project team, I believe that the advantages of the integrated design approach used for the East Hall project were numerous. Having the project architect (Cannon Design), construction management firm (Gilbane Co.), and owner assembled and working together early in the design process meant that all team members were full and equal partners in the project from the very beginning. We worked together to develop project scope and building design, create a realistic and accurate budget, and develop an appropriate construction timeline. This collaborative process also helped to develop a strong project team. Working together from the critical design and preconstruction phase of the project allowed the team to develop experience in shared decision making, working through conflicts, and proved integral to the success of the project. Throughout the project, all team members were encouraged to bring their expertise and ideas to the table. From start to finish, the project was an extremely fulfilling and enjoyable experience, a testament to the shared vision, team work, and spirit of partnership which permeated every aspect of the project.
As an alumnae (and former RA) of WPI, as well as the current director of Residence Life at Syracuse University, I have been following the updates on this project – great job!