Left, a worker programs the residence hall’s HVAC system. Right, a bathroom in the new residence hall.
structure includes a mix of suites, quads and apartments. Suites consist of two double bedrooms, with a shared bathroom. Each quad houses 12 to 15 students with a large kitchen and common space surrounded by single and double bedrooms. There also are three apartments in the building, each housing four students.
build close-knit communities. A wing exclusive to Honors Program students is one example of a small community within the new residence hall. Situated to the right of the building, the wing’s first floor houses a kitchen, lounge, classroom and offices as well as a twobedroom apartment for a faculty member. Also, there are quads with single
Roanoke’s new residence hall is configured to give students opportunities to build close-knit communities. The idea of including different living styles under one roof is simple: Students don’t want to live in a drab dormitory where every room looks the same. Colleges across the country are replacing aging residence halls built in the 1950s and 1960s with halls that contain modern features and spaces that break up these structures into small communities, according to Building Design + Construction, a magazine for the building industry. Roanoke’s new residence hall is configured to give students opportunities to 28
and double bedrooms on the second and third floors for students in Honors. “Literally a student could move into this building as a freshman and stay here all four years,” with the option of moving to different spaces, Zdziarski said. Along with a unique design, the new residence hall will be the first green student housing space at Roanoke. The building is registered for certification as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) project, due in part to water-saving plumbing, energy-efficient and natural lighting, and carpet made
with 66 percent recycled content. According to College Planning & Management magazine, which highlights sustainability as a major residence hall design trend at campuses nationwide, students who’ve grown up with an interest in environmentalism are increasingly demanding greener residences. Once certified, the new hall at Roanoke will be the second LEED building on campus, along with Lucas Hall, which reopened after renovations in 2010. The state-of-the-art building also will house a front lobby that will be manned in the evenings, flat panel televisions in hallways and tan ceramic tile floors and walls in the bathrooms. Roanoke hired an interior designer to match colors, furnishings and other items. Even so, Roanoke students had a hand in determining the hall’s look. Last spring, they rated four different color schemes for the building’s interior. Rather than choosing a brightly-colored palette, the majority of students voted for earth tone hues of tan, yellow, lime green and teal for wall paint and carpet. Each floor has a different color scheme. The warm colors define the new hall’s modern ambience and invite students to settle in. “Students said, ‘It feels more like home,’” Zdziarski said. RC Roanoke College Magazine