New residence halls take shape
In September, the College will open the doors to three new residential "houses," designed to meet the needs of juniors and seniors. Construction crews have been working through wind, rain, and even a dusting of snow to keep the project, which broke ground in spring 2001, on schedule.
Framing and sheathing are now complete on all three buildings. Workers are installing windows and roofs, and dehumidifiers are pumping moisture out of the buildings. Once interiors are dry, crews will install insulation and indoor plasterboard. Final site work and landscaping will begin in March, and the buildings will be substantially complete in July.
"I think the new residence halls are the most important undertaking on the campus right now," says John Kemp, trustee and chair of the board’s Residence Life Task Force. "It makes Lewis & Clark a four-year residential experience. That means greater interaction between upperclass and first- and second-year students. "
The new halls (one three-story and two four-story buildings totaling approximately 80,000 square feet) will accommodate 167 students in two- and four-bedroom suites that include a shared living area, kitchen, and bathroom. In addition, the project features several gathering spaces for all students on campus, including a convenience store/coffee shop, recreation center, and copy center.
The cost of living in the new halls per semester is $1,785 (the standard room rate) plus a $500 premium, for a total of $2,285. That amounts to $100 more than the cost of one student opting to live alone in a standard residence hall after his or her roommate moves out. In addition, that cost includes all utilities, Internet service, phone service, voice mail, and the convenience of living on campus in an environmentally friendly setting.
"This project is one of the first Leadership in Energy and environmental Design (LEED)–certified green building projects in Oregon and the Northwest," says David Lageson, facilities manager. "While green building has become a ubiquitous phrase in construction, the College has fully embraced it."
LEED certification goes beyond any token claim to being "earth friendly." LEED was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council to promote a more integrated approach between eco-friendly building goals and actual construction. The certification is based on a set of wide-ranging criteria for energy efficiency, air quality, water quality, type and origin of materials, and site use.
"This eco-friendly project, designed by SERA Architects and built by DPR Construction of Oregon, will benefit the College and the environment for many years," Bettega says.
To arrange a tour of the new residence halls, contact Jon Eldridge, dean of students, at 503-768-7145 or jde@lclark.edu. Application materials for upperclass transfer students and continuing students who have lived on campus for two semesters are available in the Office of Residence Life and on the Web at www.lclark.edu/dept/reslife. 
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More Campus News | | Above: An aerial view of the residence hall construction site. The south parking lot of Templeton Student Center appears in the foreground.
Left: One of the three new residential "houses" earmarked for juniors and seniors. |
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Tour the new residences online
Confidence and a vivid imagination were essential to senior Joe Cerizo when he began designing a virtual Web tour of the new residence halls last year.
"The Huddleson houses were still standing when the project began. I worked from an artist’s rendering and blueprints that were about 60-percent complete. I had to guess at the wall and carpet colors and the type of furniture to depict," he says.
An art major from Hawaii, Cerizo took on the project to hone his design skills. He began with a sketchbook and graduated to contemporary digital animation tools. Seven months and many hours later, he completed the stellar project.
Cerizo designed the exterior tour using a straightforward 360-degree revolving camera technique. For the interior tour, he mimicked the way architectural firms show space—by entering a room, panning across it, and exiting the same room to show it from all angles. His toughest challenge was portraying light inside the rooms.
"The Huddleson houses were still standing when the project began. I worked from an artist’s rendering and blueprints that were about 60-percent complete. I had to guess at the wall and carpet colors and the type of furniture to depict," Joe Cerizo says.
When first introduced online, the virtual tour caught the attention of current students, prompting them to sign up for walking tours of the construction site, says Jon Eldridge, dean of students. Now that focus has shifted to prospective students.
"We view the Web as a very effective tool in our outreach program," says Mike Sexton, dean of admissions. "Seventy percent of our students come from more than 500 miles away, so realistically, some of them will never visit campus before enrolling. With the online tour, we can bring the new residence halls to them."
View the virtual tour at www.lclark.edu/dept/reslife/virtualhouse.html.
Below: Computer simulations of the new residence halls.
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