The new first-year dormitories, East and West Halls, were certified as "green" at the silver level by LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). Silver is the third-highest ranking possible out of four.
Coordinator for a Sustainable Bowdoin Keisha Payson explained that the level ranking is based on a point-value system.
"The new dorms received 36 points," Payson said, allowing the dorms to be solidly placed into the silver level. Payson indicated that Bowdoin received points in all categories of certification, including sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and innovation and design process.
For the sustainable sites category, Bowdoin decided to create a place to store bicycles, which encourages the use of alternative transportation, eliminating green house gases.
In addition, "We went with a white roof because we anticipate that the dorms will be used for summer programs," Payson said. The white roof component will cause sunlight to reflect off of the roof, absorbing less heat.
In the water efficiency category, Payson said that the dorms were built with an "innovative waste collecting system," and explained that rain water is pumped into the toilets to promote water efficiency. She also indicated that the dorms received points for using local materials, which cut back on the amount of energy required to transport materials.
Other important environmentally friendly features include the windows and importance of daylight in the new dorms, the use of recycled materials, and the individual thermostats that are located in all of the rooms.
With all the recent construction projects taking place on Bowdoin's campus, the decision to make buildings LEED certified has taken an important role.
"We've committed to going LEED certified for all new buildings," Payson said. "We're not seeking LEED certification for renovated buildings, although they [the renovated buildings] will be much more environmentally friendly than before."
Payson explained that although the College will not seek LEED certification for the renovation projects, Bowdoin has devised its own checklist of building design standards, based largely on Stanford University's building principles.
"We will use Stanford's standards, but tailor them for our climate needs," Payson said. She noted that geothermal heating will be installed as part of the renovation projects of both the Bowdoin Art Museum and the Curtis Pool.
Payson acknowledged that Bowdoin's commitment to the environment is certainly strong.
"It's really a trend in the industry," Payson said. "It was a new concept, but now the industry is really on board with trying to make buildings as environmentally friendly as they can be."
Payson noted that Colby College received LEED certification the same day that the Bowdoin dorms were certified last month.
She indicated the importance of the LEED certification process.
"Anybody can say we have a 'green' building," Payson said. "This [LEED certification] shows that we really do have an environmentally-friendly building."