Media Alert
Spelman College Breaks Ground for a ‘Greener’ Future
ATLANTA (Oct. 20, 2006) Spelman College will take a bold step toward environmental responsibility and will make history at the same time with the ground breaking for a new “green” residence hall on Friday, October 20 at 12 p.m. This new residential facility, the first new construction of the 21st Century at Spelman, is on track to become the first in the Atlanta University Center community, and the first HBCU to attain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification through the U.S. Green Building Council. The building will be designed with a high priority on health, reduced environmental impact and increased resource conservation. The ground breaking will take place at the site of the new building on the new land acquired from the AUC, at the corner of West View Drive and Lee Street, behind the Milligan Building on West End Avenue, SW.
Spelman’s President, Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum said, “Building ‘green’ is a smart investment in the future.” Expressing her concern about the sustainability of the environment, she added, “The very future of our planet is at stake. I believe we have an obligation to increase our own environmental responsibility at Spelman and to educate students about it. With the ground breaking for this new ‘green’ residence hall, we are, like the founders of Spelman, building for the next 100 years and doing our part to protect the environment for the generations to come.”
Art Frazier, Spelman’s director of Facilities Management & Services, detailed the additional firsts that will become part of Spelman’s legacy of leadership. “Out of the 237 Educational Institution members of the U.S. Green Building Council, Spelman is the first and only HBCU member and the first and only member in the AUC. And our ‘green’ residential facility will be the first LEED Certified Residence Hall in the state of Georgia.” Frazier clarified that actual certification will be awarded after the building is completed in Spring 2008. The LEED Consultant on the project is CxGBS/Commissioning & Green Building Solutions, Inc.
The LEED Green Building Rating System was developed by the USGBC and is the “green” building standard of choice for Federal agencies and state and local governments nationwide. This rating system is a voluntary, consensus-based national standard for developing high-performance, sustainable buildings, and provides a complete framework for assessing building performance and meeting sustainability goals. The USGBC is a community of leaders working to transform the way buildings and communities are designed, built and operated. Green buildings typically use energy, water and other resources more efficiently and reduce the overall impact on the environment.
Yvonne Jackson, chair of the Board of Trustees for the college, was proud of Spelman taking a leadership role in the AUC and among HBCUs in being more environmentally responsible with the construction of this new “green” residential facility. Citing benefits such as improved student health and productivity, reduced operational costs and greater resource efficiency, Jackson said “all of these things will contribute to the wealth of the college, the well-being of our students and raise the awareness among students, faculty and staff of the importance of each of us to be more responsible and work together to preserve the world we all live in.”
The residence hall will be more than 201,455 square feet and will house 303 beds, raising current housing capacity from 1,176 to 1,479. There will also be a 175 seat-dining hall, and a 100-car parking deck . Student occupancy is projected for July 2008. The housing will be suite-style, with amenities. The anticipated composition is 50% two-bedroom apartments, 25% three-bedroom apartments and 25% four-bedroom apartments.
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Spelman College:
Founded in 1881, Spelman College is the only historically Black college in
the nation to be included on the U.S. News and World Report's list of top
75 "Best Liberal Arts Colleges — Undergraduate," 2005. Located in Atlanta,
Ga., this private, historically Black women's college boasts outstanding
alumnae, including Children's Defense Fund Founder Marian Wright Edelman;
U.S. Foreign Service Director General Ruth Davis; authors Tina McElroy Ansa and
Pearl Cleage and actress LaTanya Richardson. More than 83 percent of the
full-time faculty members have Ph.D.s or other terminal degrees and the
student-faculty ratio is 12:1. Annually, nearly one-third of Spelman
students receive degrees in the sciences. The students number more than
2,186 and represent 43 states and 34 foreign countries. For more
information regarding Spelman College, visit: www.spelman.edu.
