Washington College Magazine
George Goes Geothermal
As a famous frog once said, "It's not easy being green," especially when environmentally sustainable construction sometimes translates into additional expense. But in the case of two new residence halls scheduled for construction this summer, it's "easy to be virtuous," notes H. Louis Stettler, the senior vice president for finance and management, "because the site presents the perfect conditions to support a geothermal system. We don't expect the cost to be significantly more than a conventional HVAC system."
The College is adding two residence halls to the housing cluster on the north end of campus.
According to Stettler, the geothermal system will be installed where two parking lots now exist adjacent to the building site north of Kibler Field. After the three-story residence halls are erected, contractors will reinstall parking lots over the geothermal field. "I guess it balances out the environmental impact of all those cars," Stettler notes wryly.
The project is in keeping with the College's Master Plan for new construction to be both cost-effective and consistent with the College's sustainability goals. And it's a victory for the George Goes Green initiative students launched two years ago to encourage environmental sustainability on campus.
The new residence halls, housing approximately 100 students each, feature suites and semi-suites (without a common living area). They should be ready in the fall of 2008.
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