New Hampshire Students to Live in Environmentally Friendly Hall

PLYMOUTH, N.H. — Plymouth State University is the first college campus in the state to have a LEED gold-certified residence hall.

Designed by architectural firm Cannon Design of Boston, the five-story 114,000-square-foot Langdon Woods dormitory opened last September and houses 347 students.

The dorm implements several water-conservation design elements including low-flow faucets, dual-flush toilets and waterless urinals are expected to save the school 1.4 million gallons per year, according to reports. An underground storm water management system is projected to meet the capacity of a 50-year storm, which exceeds LEED requirements.

Energy efficiency was also a priority for the school. The building’s tall, narrow design with multiple windows maximizes daylighting to reduce energy costs. A high-performance air-barrier envelope controls pressure inside the building and monitors airflow into and out of the facility.

The dorm’s most significant sustainable feature — contributing to the 58 percent in energy savings achieved each year — is its heating system. A waste-heat co-generation plant located on the campus serves as the hall’s primary heat source, recycling excess heat for hot water and temperature control inside the building and helping to save the university nearly $230,000 a year on energy costs.

Materials selection also contributed to the hall’s gold status: 20 percent of all materials in the building are recycled; 36 percent were obtained from within a 500-mile radius to reduce transportation emissions; and nearly 70 percent of the wood in the building was harvested from sustainably managed forests. Recycling during the project also helped keep 80 percent of construction waste out of landfills.

Inside the building, students have access to a bicycle storage room, which is intended to encourage alternative transportation and exercise, as well as a coffee shop and a workout room.