When students make the trek to class from South Campus, they can see little bits of Morrison Residence Hall's progress from the outside - from the new balcony railings to the solar panels on the roof.
But representatives from student government's Environmental Affairs Committee and the Renewable Energy Special Projects Committee got a look Friday at the inside of the dorm when they went on a tour with construction officials.
The tour was led by Steve Lofgren, assistant director for facilities management in the department of Housing and Residential Education.
RESPC officials requested the tour because of their involvement in Morrison's sustainability goals.
Jesse Prentice-Dunn, RESPC co-chairman, said the tour lets students know what's happening with their money. Student fee money is used to partially fund renewable energy parts of the renovation.
"The tour is a tangible sign of what's happening," he said.
The first project the committee helped fund was the solar panels on top of Morrison, Prentice-Dunn said.
The panels heat up glycol, an antifreeze that is routed down through a radiator to heat water in an 8,000 gallon storage tank, construction project officials said. The tank will provide a portion of hot water for the dorm.
Students will be able to see their energy usage via a Web site and a kiosk in the lobby, said Cindy Shea, director of the University's sustainability office.
Shea said energy meters will enable competition and research and provide students feedback.
Although students will be able to monitor their energy usage, consumption of water or electricity will not be restricted.
The renovated Morrison, which is set to open in August, will include more than just solar panels.
There will be new sprinklers, plumbing, lighting and air conditioning, Lofgren said.
The top three floors of Morrison will feature three-bedroom suites with a shared bathroom and living room.
Every suite will have loose furniture so students can organize their living space the way they want, Lofgren said.
The first-floor lobby will be a two-story atrium lobby with a recreation room area, kitchenette, residential office, laundry room and mail room, along with an open area with furniture to lounge, said Lisa Florack, the project manager for Skanska, the building company in charge of the Morrison project.
"Virtually everything except for the shell of the building is brand new," said Keith Dean, Skanska's project superintendent.
Assistant Director of Housing and Residential Education Rick Bradley said that Morrison aims to attract environmentally conscious students.
"The building in general will be an attracter to energy-conscious students - conservationists in their own right," he said.
Morrison also will be the home of a new themed-housing program called the "Sustainability Learning Community."
Shea said programming will be open to suggestions. Students can sign up for the program until Feb. 7.
"It will be up to the students to determine what they're most interested in working on," she said.
"Energy will be an aspect of it, but that could expand to a range of other interests on alternative fuels, public transportation, awareness campaigns, independent studies or new coursework opportunities."
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