For a little over a year now, Boston College’s biggest construction project has been visible to anyone passing by it on campus. Starting next fall, 2150 Commonwealth Ave. will be the University’s newest residence hall, replacing many of the beds to be lost when Edmond’s Hall closes for good next summer. The apartments are mostly four- and six-person suites, ranging from 996 to 1,383 square feet.
While it is being built with the same modern exposed brick style seen in BC’s most recently constructed student residence Stayer Hall, 2150 Comm. Ave. is much more than just another pretty building to look at on campus: it is a step forward in BC’s efforts to curb energy and power consumption. Easily accessible recycling bins might be a good way for the campus to get a little greener. It’s extra effort in big construction projects, however, that pushes BC toward a sustainable future. For those building 2150 Comm. Ave., this means bringing in independent contractors to do double and triple checks to make sure the residence is airtight, putting in high efficiency furnaces to heat the building, and using a water purification system in the basement that will let the building reuse water. The goal is to reduce BC’s carbon footprint.
2150 also represents a step forward for health services on campus. The new Health Services Center that’ll be in 2150 (replacing the current location in Cushing) will be over 12,000 square feet, with 12 exam rooms, five patient rooms, and even an isolation room, in addition to a larger reception area. And it is not simply that bigger equates to better in regards to size alone: more students getting appropriately treated for their illnesses means that campus itself will be much safer and less contagious, which pays dividends to everyone, sick or healthy.
2150 is keeping up with its current building plan, both literally in the construction is nearing completion, and also in the fact that it truly acts as an advancement in the way that BC will be looking to handle the rest of its construction as the University’s master plan comes to fruition.
Featured Image by Drew Hoo / Heights Editor
