New Student and Faculty Residence Construction of another new student and faculty residence on campus similar in design to Gund House and Squibb House, which opened in 2013, will help complete plans for the residential area of campus. The new 31,112-square-foot residence will include 49 beds for students, including both single and double rooms, large common rooms with a pantry on each floor, four faculty apartments with easy access for students, a large recreation area, sizable rooms for storage and laundry facilities. It will be located between Milliken House and Squibb House. “The new House will really help to complete the residential community of the campus around the main quad,” said John. “It will really be harmonious and continue the design vocabulary of the other residences.” Environmental design features will include geothermal heating and cooling, water conservation measures, abundant natural light and Energy Star equipment. “The idea for a new dormitory is not to increase the size of the school but to enhance community and improve the quality of life on campus for students and faculty,” said Bill. “Common spaces and study areas in some of our existing dormitories like Memorial Hall and Edge House have been converted to student rooms, so this will allow us to return those spaces to their original purpose. Gund House, Squibb House and Milliken House work so well because they have large common spaces
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Westminster Bulletin
where members of a corridor or the entire dorm can gather, which is critical for fostering community. Additionally, the added residential space will give the Admissions Office the flexibility to increase our boarding-to-day student ratio as needed to meet a very robust interest of boarding students in the school.”
Carriage Houses Two new 5,442-square-foot carriage houses will be built near the student and faculty residences to increase faculty housing in the core of campus and provide covered parking and storage for faculty. Their design will complement the larger student and faculty residences and will feature five indoor parking spaces on the lower level and a faculty apartment on the upper level. One will be located between the new dining hall and Squibb House, and the other will be next to the new residence hall. “Westminster is historically a combination of larger institutional buildings and smaller-scale residential buildings working in concert to reinforce a special sense of community,” said John. “With the addition of the carriage houses and the new dormitory, we are putting six more faculty living spaces in the center of the campus,” emphasized Bill. “At Westminster, students and faculty live together and interact with each other in informal ways throughout the day and evening, and this will reinforce that.”