Res Hall Elevation

College to construct new residence halls

College is a home away from home, a place to make discoveries and to nurture lifelong friendships. It is much more than mere bricks and mortar, yet buildings create a place where the spirit of community can grow.

In May, the College will break ground on three apartment-style residence halls.

The construction project marks the first phase of the College’s long-term plans to create an academic village at Lewis & Clark.

"Our student body is made up primarily of young people who are experiencing the formative transition between late adolescence and early adulthood," says Jane Atkinson, vice president and provost of the College. "We believe that students this age, who are pursuing the kind of education we offer, thrive best through total immersion in the collegiate experience.

"We want students fully engaged in campus life, not treating education as a part-time job to be left at the end of the day," she says. Currently, first- and second-year students are required to live on campus. This means juniors and seniors can only occupy 125 of the existing 1,000 beds.

"We believe more students will choose to reside on campus once we provide the type of living arrangements older students now leave campus to acquire," Atkinson says.

The three new "houses," designed to meet the needs of juniors and seniors, will open in the fall of 2002. After crews deconstruct and demolish the quaint, brown "home offices" on the hillside along Huddleson Road, the new residence halls will claim that site.

Each building will house about 56 students in apartment-style living environments. Each self-contained unit will have four (or two) single-occupancy sleeping rooms with unit residents sharing a living area, kitchen and bathroom.

"I’m a resident assistant with my own room in Stewart Residence Hall," says Elizabeth Larter, a sophomore who serves on the residence hall planning committee. "I want to live with friends during my senior year and to still maintain some personal space. The new halls will provide a mature living environment. They also will promote community, will build school spirit and will give first- and second-year students who live on campus a chance to know juniors and seniors and to learn from them."

Erin Nelson, a sophomore who is majoring in psychology, appreciates the care that went into designing the new residence halls.

"Having one kitchen for two or four people will be a big plus in the new halls, especially for students with special dietary needs," says Nelson, who serves as a peer wellness educator. "And residential directors will be able to arrange potluck dinners for one floor or hall."

The architectural centerpiece of each house will be a two-story lounge, evoking the character of a small lodge, featuring a fireplace and exposed truss work at the ceiling. The lounge and balcony will accommodate all residents for house meetings and yet provide a cozy space to study or to watch television. Large windows will flood the area with natural light.

Exterior brick and masonry work will mirror the warm, textured qualities of Frank Manor House.

One of the houses will include a convenience store and a café, and the other will feature a student recreation area and a computer/copy center. The café and recreation center will share an outdoor plaza with dynamic space for students to gather.

"I know many sophomores who plan to live on campus this fall, so that they will have the option of living in the new houses in 2002," says Cameron Parker, a senior biology major who serves on the planning committee. "Having a coffeehouse and convenience store on this side of campus, where students can buy milk or laundry detergent, will make life easier. And they will be able to mingle and interact in a central part of the residential campus."

From conception through design, the project has been a collaboration, says Jon Eldridge, dean of students.

A trustee task force, chaired by John Kemp and including Fred Jubitz, Michael Kasperzak, Jr., ’76, Joan Smith and Judge Ralph Holman J.D. ’37, met regularly with College administrators and students.

"Because of the collaboration of faculty, students, staff and trustees, the College will have buildings that people appreciate—buildings they helped conceive and create," Eldridge says.

Larter agrees. "Being on the planning committee was a positive experience for me," she says. "I feel connected to what’s happening on campus and have confidence in the decisions that were made. I’m excited about moving into the new residence halls."

Parker gave the planning process a thumbs-up, as well.

"The process definitely incorpora-ted students’ ideas," she says. "And the College was very forthcoming in letting students know about the planning progress."

When complete, the three new halls will house about 170 more students on campus.

"Everything is a little easier when you live on campus," says sophomore Dan Knox, who is majoring in mathematics with an emphasis in pre-medicine. "The social atmosphere can’t be beat. The location also makes it more convenient to attend meetings and to use the library."

SERA Architects is designing the three new residence halls, budgeted at $21 million. DPR Construction is the general contractor. Walker & Macy, an architectural landscape firm in Portland, is crafting a landscape design that marries the buildings’ architecture with the environment.

—by Pattie Pace

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"The new halls will provide a mature living environment. They also will promote community, will build school spirit and will give first- and second-year students who live on campus a chance to know juniors and seniors and to learn from them."

College commits to building 'green'

To sustain and enhance the natural beauty of the campus, the College is committed to a design and construction process that is aligned with "green building" practices. Green building means creating architecture that minimizes the use of natural resources, toxic materials, and emissions of waste and pollutants and that maximizes the use of recycled materials.

Last month, Deconstruction Services of the Rebuilding Center in Portland deconstructed Gallagher House and Huddleson 1 and 2, three of the small brown houses that were situated on the hillside above Huddleson Road. By reversing the order of normal building construction, crews removed the roof, windows, doors, siding, cabinets, drywall, insulation and plumbing. They pulled out nails and screws and hauled out floor joists. They will resell most of the materials removed from the house. And they will recycle materials that can’t be sold.

Depending on the College’s work schedule, crews will demolish and recycle or deconstruct the remaining three houses on Huddleson Road to make room for the new residence halls.

Walker & Macy, landscape architect for the project, is doing its utmost to save as many trees as possible.Crews placed six-foot hurricane fencing around trees that will be saved, protecting their root systems. They milled trees that could not be saved, and 98 percent of that wood will be used on campus.

"We’ll be planting new trees and shrubs on the hillside," says Jon Eldridge, dean of students. "When the project is complete, the site will hold many more trees than it does now."

Cain furniture

Students choose new furniture

Lewis & Clark students are taking an active role in choosing which furniture the College will purchase for its new residence halls.

Crews built a demonstration bedroom inside Odell Residence Hall, complete with modular furniture from two different manufacturers: one offers steel-and-wood construction, and the other specializes in wood furniture. Students had a chance to view the modular furniture set up in several different ways.

One arrangement tucked the desk, phone and computer under a raised, loft bed. Another offered a low, single bed with storage drawers underneath and a desk that was flush against the wall. All rooms include an armoire or an upright wall unit for storage.

Jon Eldridge, dean of students, says most students gave the furniture high marks, especially for its modular, flexible design. According to the results of a computer survey that students answered when they visited the demonstration room, students want plenty of electrical outlets and shelf space for books.

Each room will be wired with an Ethernet computer connection to the World Wide Web.

For more information, consult the residence life Web site or visit the facilities services Web site.