Although the dorm will not be complete by the originally date, the building will have earth-friendly features.
The newest addition to the Rollins dorm offerings is nearing completion. I was fortunate enough to recently be given a tour of the new Strong Hall Phase II. Every detail of the building shows intricate planning with both college students and sustainability in mind. All 58 rooms contain high-efficiency LED lighting and the dorm overall has an impressive amount of windows, allowing for plenty of natural light to stream in. As in many other buildings on campus, Strong will also have hydration station for refilling water containers. As Director of Facilities Manager Scott Bitikofer puts it, “It’s about efficiency across the board.”
The average setup is a bathroom shared between two double rooms; however, there are also singles that share a bathroom and doubles with their own bathroom. There are four rooms equipped for special needs students who may be hearing impaired or mobility impaired. Each room has hardwood floors but hallways and stairwells are carpeted to reduce sound. Another feature I found impressive was the installation of fiberglass showers instead of the traditional tiled showers. According to Mr. Bitikofer, they are much easier to maintain over time and are far more sanitary. There are also built-in features to the dorm that would allow for future additions; “We build in future building capacity.”
The new building, coupled with Strong Hall Phase I, will create a new enclosed courtyard space to enhance the sense of community amongst the building of the Strong Quad. While the building will not be complete by April 25 as originally intended, it will certainly be fully functional in time for the fall semester move-in.
Photo by Hongjin Du
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