BC’s Stone Village receives LEED certification

Stone Village, Bridgewater College’s village-style residences that were constructed to conform to an internationally recognized green building certification system, has received “Certified” status as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) project.

Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council, LEED provides building owners and operators a concise framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.

Stone Village, which is located at East College and College View streets, was begun in the summer of 2010 and officially dedicated in August 2011. The five houses of the village are grouped with the pre-existing Strickler Apartments to form environmentally responsible housing for 87 students. The village was designed to foster a sense of community, with Victorian-style housing surrounding a communal outdoor space that residents use to socialize, study and host cookouts.

The project was designed by the Greensboro, N.C.-based architectural firm of Moser Mayer Phoenix Associates (MMPA).

“Our team is very excited to be part of Bridgewater College’s first LEED certified project,” said Kenneth C. Mayer Jr., MMPA’s principal-in-charge of the Stone Village project. “Stone Village illustrates to the campus – and to the larger community – that sustainable design and construction can be achievable, practical and architecturally appropriate, along with being the right thing to do.”

Mayer said that everything about Stone Village – landscaping, building materials, electrical systems and appliances – reflects a carefully thought-out respect for the environment and commitment to sustainability.

He said the landscaping has been designed so that storm water runoff will be clean and plants will not require potable water for irrigation; at least 20 percent of all building materials are made of recycled materials; insulation, which exceeds minimum requirements, is composed of rapidly renewable, soy-based materials; rooms are equipped with occupancy sensor lights, which turn on and off when a room is or isn’t in use; and all appliances bear an Energy Star rating.

Mayer also noted that interior paints and adhesives are environmentally friendly, improving indoor air quality because they contain low amounts of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). And 20 percent of all materials used in Stone Village were made or harvested within 500 miles of Bridgewater College, which required less fuel and other resources for delivery.

Anne B. Keeler, vice president for finance and treasurer at Bridgewater, said that everyone involved in the Stone Village project embraced the decision to make it environmentally responsible.

“Perhaps the most valuable part of the process has been what we learned about sustainable building materials and methods, which is information we can use to inform future projects as we continue to pursue the principles of sustainability and stewardship contained in the recently released strategic plan,” Keeler said.

She said Bridgewater appreciates the contributions of college staff in facilities and student life, as well as the expertise provided by the project’s building partners, including MMPA, EDC of Richmond (project management), G&H Contracting (construction), Valley Engineering (site/civil engineering) and Van Yahres Associates (site planning).

“All of these firms went the extra mile to help us achieve our objective of developing housing units that are both comfortable for student living and sustainable,” said Keeler, who also noted that funding for the project was provided through a U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development loan.