Construction of the first of three new residence halls at Champlain College began this summer adjacent to Skiff Hall on South Willard Street. The project, dubbed "Res-Tri," is part of the College's Master Plan to provide campus housing for up to 90 percent of its 2,000 undergraduate students, according to Michel George, Associate Vice President of Campus Planning and Auxiliary Services.
It is anticipated that the building will be completed and ready for occupancy for the Fall 2012 semester. The second and third residence halls have received their permits, but no construction date has been set.
"We're very excited [about the project]," said George. "It will help us better serve the needs of our students and add to the aesthetics of the neighborhood. It's a win-win for everybody involved."
The Res-Tri Project consists of three residence halls, green space, landscaping and a promenade in the 4.7 acre site bounded by Main Street, South Willard Street, Maple Street and Edmunds School. A central promenade from Main Street to Perry Hall provides access to classrooms, dining halls, residence halls and administrative offices. The promenade creates an internal student walkway on campus that will draw students off the public sidewalks to an internal environment.
The first residence hall known as "Building A," will provide 95 beds for students in rooms that can be turned into suites. The new hall will include common rooms, laundry, a ski tuning room, trash room, and other spaces commonly found in state-of-the-art residence halls, George explained. Exterior and site elements include a student patio, sitting walls and landscaping. The outdoor amphitheater and sitting wall area will be skateboard friendly.
Champlain College offers a range of housing options for students, including 19 restored Victorian-era mansions that ring the main campus, along with several suite-style residence halls and modern apartment-style residence halls off campus for upperclassmen.
PC Construction of South Burlington (formerly Pizzagalli Construction Co.) is the contractor for the Res-Tri project. Site preparation work began in June and crews this week are beginning construction of the building's foundation and pouring footings.
CBT Architects, a Boston-based firm designed the project. According to George, the Res-Tri is designed to match the aesthetics of the historic Hill Section neighborhood. The front of Building A, facing South Willard Street, will be primarily brick and retain the look of a traditional residential building, complete with two chimneys and multiple sections, similar to the adjacent Whiting Hall. The western side of the building, which will open on a new green area, will be slightly more modern with a combination brick, zinc and glass design.
The Res Tri project continues Champlain's green standards and will include a geothermal heating and cooling system similar to the energy-saving system at the Welcome and Admission Center at Roger H. Perry Hall. The geothermal system takes advantage of the constant temperature of the groundwater to heat and cool the building. This system uses far less energy than traditional methods of heating and cooling. In addition to the geothermal system, all LEED Certification standards will be met.
Looking ahead, George said the College is moving forward with a project to dramatically expand the Hauke Family Campus Center on Maple Street to serve as the new Center for Creative Media. The expansion will include new classrooms, faculty offices, a large performance space, a new dining facility, bookstore, and copy center. Lab space and work stations for students in the Communications and Creative Media division will be added as well as a transportation center to shuttle people to and from parking at the Lakeside Campus. Construction is expected to begin the summer of 2012.
For additional information about the projects and regular updates, visit http://www.champlain.edu/Campus-Planning.html or email [email protected].
About Champlain College:
Since 1878, Champlain College has provided career-focused education to students from its hilltop campus in Burlington, Vt. Champlain's distinctive educational approach embodies the notion that true learning only occurs when information and experience come together to create knowledge. Champlain offers traditional undergraduate and online undergraduate courses, along with online certificate and degree programs and eight master's degree programs. Champlain offers study abroad programs at its campuses in Montreal, Quebec and Dublin, Ireland. Champlain College will be included in the Princeton Review's "best colleges" guidebook, The Best 376 Colleges: 2012 Edition. Champlain was named a "Top-Up-and-Coming School" by U.S. News & World Report's America's Best Colleges and was ranked in the top tier of 2011 Regional Colleges in the North. To learn more about Champlain College, visit www.champlain.edu.