Philander Smith Green Dorm
by Anonymous
on February 22, 2010 - 13:20
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 22, 2010
Contact: JD Lowery
Phone: 501.944.7951
Email: jd@ViridianUSA.com
Philander Smith expands student housing with green dorm
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – February 22, 2010: Today, Viridian client Philander Smith College held a ground breaking ceremony for a new dormitory that was attended by college and local dignitaries. The 60 bed, three story, 19,770 square foot building is registered to achieve LEED Certification and provide much needed living space to meet the school’s ever-expanding student enrollment. This is the first of four buildings to be constructed over the next five years.
“Building a LEED-certified or green building is just another way for us demonstrate our social justice commitment and, in this case, to increase campus awareness of issues of environmental justice,” said Philander Smith College President, Dr. Walter Kimbrough. “With our growing enrollment, our new campus master plan expands our focus on topics consistent with our mission.”
The project time frame's was expedited allowing for only 12 months for planning, pre- and schematic design, construction documents and construction. This created an atmosphere of cooperation that lends itself to the integrative processes embodied in LEED. Collaboration such as this allowed measured and informed decisions involving mechanical systems, green building materials selection and meeting standards of a historic district.
“Pursuing LEED for Philander Smith’s new dorm was great decision because of the potential payback through energy efficiency measures, but also because of the numerous indoor air quality issues addressed by the rating system,” said Viridian project manager April Ambrose, “The College is making a commitment to creating a positive and healthy atmosphere for its students.”
Once certification is complete, this building will be the first LEED certified dormitory of any Arkansas colleges or universities. The facility was designed by Williams & Dean Associated Architects and Alessi Keyes Construction serving as the general contractor.
Philander Smith College is a private, residential, co-educational, four-year undergraduate liberal arts college affiliated with the United Methodist Church and a founding member of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF). More information about Philander Smith can be found at http://www.philander.edu/.
Established in January 2008, GBCI provides third-party project certification and professional credentials for the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED Green Building Rating Systems addressing new construction and ongoing operations.
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Viridian is a Little Rock-based independent sustainable building consulting firm that offers business solutions which reflect the optimal balance of social, financial and environmental stewardship. Viridian is a member firm of the U.S. Green Building Council, a 501(c)(3) non-profit community of leaders working to make green buildings available to everyone within a generation.
