Plymouth State University

Langdon Woods: Plymouth's "Green" Housing Project

Plymouth State University's newest residence hall is not only home to nearly 350 students, it's also one of the Northeast's most environmentally-conscious college housing projects. PSU unveiled the Langdon Woods Residential Complex to the public on October 13 with an afternoon ribbon cutting.

The $29 million dollar project officially opened in early September, following an acclerated 15 month-long construction process. The five-story high building was paid for entirely by student fees. This state-of-the-art project features a layout that follows the contour of the land, preserving wetlands and other water elements while allowing maximum sunlight exposure for energy conservation. The brick, wood and glass building was outfitted with energy and water conserving fixtures and systems, including some waterless urinals. Heat is provided through a co-generation plant housed next door. The unique building design is eligible for a silver-level certification in the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership-Energy-Environmental Design (LEEDS) program.

In the living quarters, Langdon Woods offers suite-style living options as well as hotel-type single and double bedrooms, a 1,000 square-foot aerobic exercise area, a coffee shop, a common area with wireless Internet access, smaller areas for students to congregate, bathrooms with more privacy, a laundry room, secure bicycle storage and a meeting/conference room. Additionally, the carpets throughout the building are recyclable and the University outfitted the rooms with furniture manufactured locally in Lisbon, N.H.

Langdon Woods' design and amenities were driven by the results of student surveys to determine what was needed in a residence hall. PSU's Vice President for Financial Affairs Bill Crangle confirms students played a key role with Langdon Woods from the beginning.

"Students were actually involved in master and detail planning for the facility, in addition to the surveys we've taken over the years," Crangle said.

Crangle believes Langdon Woods will guide Plymouth State's future growth, saying, "This is a model for us in how we address new and refurbished construction, for both residence halls and academic buildings, the way we use water, heat, wastewater and storm water management. All of what has been done at Langdon Woods will be our guide. Sustainability will be at the forefront of our future plans."

The architect for Langdon Woods was Cannon Design of Boston, Mass., while the contractor was Engelberth Construction of Keene, N.H.