Wake Forest University Opens Green Dorm
Thursday, September 02 2010
by Jessica Jones
Eric Hodge: College students are back on campus and settling into life away from home. And some of them are moving into state-of-the-art facilities. Many campuses are adding green features to their buildings- while others are building entirely new, highly energy efficient dormitories. Wake Forest University has just opened what is the largest green dorm in the state so far. Jessica Jones reports it houses about 200 students.
Jessica Jones: With its classic Georgian architecture and brick walls, Wake Forest’s New South Residence Hall looks like a typical college dormitory. But inside, it’s the most energy efficient building on campus. Upstairs, in a tiled third floor bathroom, housekeeper Ada Diaz is using a big chrome showerhead to rinse out suds in the base of the shower stall. She says it doesn’t use a lot of water, but it comes out at a very high pressure.
And the toilets are efficient too. Diaz points out wording in a nearby stall that tells students they have two different options for flushing.
When students wash their hands, solar hot water panels on the roof of the building ensure the temperature is just right. And all the other parts of this building are energy efficient too. It’s one of nearly one hundred so-called “green” dorms built on college campuses across the country in recent years. Donna McGalliard is the school’s Dean of Residence Life and Housing. She says this building cost eighteen million dollars.
That’s because the college will save so much money on energy costs. Motion-sensors turn off lights when people aren’t around. There are thermostats in nearly every room that adjust according to need. McGalliard says it’s designed to meet the standards of what are called LEED buildings- meaning they’re highly energy efficient.
Wake Forest isn’t the only campus in North Carolina that’s seeking to become more energy-efficient. Both Warren Wilson and Duke already have small green residential facilities for students. UNC-Charlotte and UNC-Greensboro are both building large green dorms that are scheduled to open next year. And students seem to like them. Junior Laura Hansen is a resident advisor in this first-year dorm.
Inside, it’s white single dorm room with a big window. There’s a sink in a recessed area on the side. Every room comes with a mini refrigerator with a small microwave built in on top. And there’s a thermostat that Hansen can adjust any time she wants.
Outside in the hallways, there’s lots of natural light. In fact, this dorm is so nice that some students joke it feels like a hotel. That includes freshman Hanna LaVia. She says her parents were flabbergasted when they dropped her off last week.
Hanna LaVia says she feels at home already.
Jessica Jones, North Carolina Public Radio, WUNC.
