2008 Woodie Awards
Developing Land for the Academic Village: What Will We Have to Compromise?
John Gatlin
Issue date: 9/15/06 Section: Opinion
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If you drop by Hulen Ballroom to see the new plans set out for the Academic Village, you might stare in awe at the possibilities to come in the next few years, or you might immediately detest the idea of expansion and think that Hendrix is getting ahead of itself, or you might just not think a thing about it. Regardless, what you may not immediately notice is that some of the land planned for development overlaps Hendrix's existing nature trail.
Since the project's inception, organizations like our Environmental Concerns Committee (ECC) have been keen on addressing ecological threats to the land planned for development and raising awareness of the potential environmental benefits and losses of the project.
As part of the Associated Colleges of the South (ACS)-a group of 16 colleges particularly conscious of environmental issues-our administration has stated Hendrix's intention to be as "green" as possible in the construction of the new Village.
The website devoted to The Village says the developer chosen for the project, Traditional Neighborhood Development Partners, LLC, of Durham, N.C., "has previously implemented successful green builder programs that had little impact upon the cost of construction, and will work with builders in The Village to repeat those results."
It seems, at least, that our administration has an interest in making this project an example not only for other colleges and universities, but also for the expansion of Conway. To make sure of this, ECC has kept and will keep an active role in ensuring these "green builder programs" are put into practice and hopes to further it by achieving what is called "LEED" certification for the entire project.
"LEED" certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to, among other things, "define 'green building' by establishing a common standard of measurement."
USGBC has five criteria that are used to grade construction: "sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environment quality."
Since the project's inception, organizations like our Environmental Concerns Committee (ECC) have been keen on addressing ecological threats to the land planned for development and raising awareness of the potential environmental benefits and losses of the project.
As part of the Associated Colleges of the South (ACS)-a group of 16 colleges particularly conscious of environmental issues-our administration has stated Hendrix's intention to be as "green" as possible in the construction of the new Village.
The website devoted to The Village says the developer chosen for the project, Traditional Neighborhood Development Partners, LLC, of Durham, N.C., "has previously implemented successful green builder programs that had little impact upon the cost of construction, and will work with builders in The Village to repeat those results."
It seems, at least, that our administration has an interest in making this project an example not only for other colleges and universities, but also for the expansion of Conway. To make sure of this, ECC has kept and will keep an active role in ensuring these "green builder programs" are put into practice and hopes to further it by achieving what is called "LEED" certification for the entire project.
"LEED" certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) was developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) to, among other things, "define 'green building' by establishing a common standard of measurement."
USGBC has five criteria that are used to grade construction: "sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environment quality."
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