Going green - without LEED
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification standards hold a monopoly over colleges' sustainable construction projects. But a lesser-known alternative is beginning to make a mark at universities.
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Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certification standards hold a monopoly over colleges' sustainable construction projects. But a lesser-known alternative is beginning to make a mark at universities.
With gas prices sitting at $3.51 a gallon nationwide, many people are finding it harder to get around. These same prices are making it more expensive for institutions like Penn to fund construction projects.
University City has a bright future. Those managing it just need to ensure that the future is visible past lines of cars and swarms of people in rush-hour traffic.
There's no denying that Penn students are a diverse bunch.
After much delay, the South Street Bridge Replacement Project finally appears poised to begin - but community members are still trying to assert their views about the project.
As the University marches toward a sustainable future, Penn continues to make LEED certification a major initiative in its newly constructed buildings. But while institutions continue to strive for this goal, they are realizing that in order to build green, they must shell out some green in the process.
As fuel costs rise, the benefits of solar energy are often touted - but solar power is easier to implement in some places than others.
Philadelphia is going through a growth spurt, and it's taking University City with it.
Upcoming development projects associated with Penn, including the $500 million Cira Center South towers, will be changing the face of University City for years to come.
Plans are underway for major renovations to the music building near 34th and Walnut streets.
With the completion of Cira Centre South still a number of years away, for now, progress is being marked by subtraction.
A place that most students haven't heard of will soon become the site of the greenest building owned by Penn.
Future residents of the Radian who plan on escaping all aspects of College House life might be disappointed. In at least one way, the Radian - a 14-story apartment building under construction at 39th and Walnut streets - shares a major resemblance to on-campus living. Radian residents will include a group of employed students known as mavericks, whose jobs are similar to those of the residential advisors in College Houses. These students will be trained to "assist in leasing office management and provide concierge-like benefits to the residents by managing activities such as tailgate parties, movie nights and group outings," according to Rachel Kihn, the vice president of marketing for Radian's developer, Inland American Communities Group. "Mavericks serve as the 'go-to' person for the residents, keeping them plugged in to what's happening at the Radian and in the local community," she wrote in an e-mail. In exchange for their work, mavericks are paid a monthly stipend, in addition to living at the Radian for free. Students who will be living at the Radian next year said they still don't know how the mavericks will compare to RAs. "My opinion of them is that they are a more disguised version of an RA," said Engineering freshman and future Radian resident James Michael Ottavi-Brannon. "I don't envision them patrolling the hallways. At least I hope they won't act like hall police." The maverick program is in place at each student housing project that IAC has developed. It began in 2005 in response to "the fact that today's students have been engaged in structured group activities since childhood, and they place a high value on staying connected with their peers," Kihn wrote. Engineering freshman Erica Harkins said she thinks the program is "more of an event-planning kind of thing then a mother hen." Mavericks will be chosen based on an application process among the students expected to live there, particularly those who can demonstrate "superior leadership skills," Kihn wrote. Mavericks aren't the only analogies students have drawn between College Houses and the Radian. "It's going to be all college kids, so I'm viewing it as basically living in a high rise with bigger rooms, and nicer furnishings," Harkins said. Ottavi-Brannon agreed, saying, "I'm not expecting it to be that different [from a Gollege House], it's still a bunch of students living together." The Radian, which will include luxuries such as an HDTV lounge, a fitness center, individual washer and dryer units and yet-to-be-determined retail, will open in August.
A bill passed by the U.S. Congress eight years ago is slowly beginning to change the face of urban development in West Philadelphia.
In recent years, more and more students have been able to grab a cup of coffee or go shopping - without leaving their apartment buildings.
It was a bit like New Student Orientation all over again last night for next year's residents of the Radian, as they met with future roommates and hallmates for the first time.
Over the past few weeks, a developmental eyesore has been replaced by the sleek exoskeleton of a new building.
The Hub, the colorful apartment and retail building on the corner of 40th and Chestnut streets, will soon be expanding across the street.
For many in the Penn community, yesterday's Martin Luther King, Jr. Day holiday was not simply a day off from classes - it was a chance to reflect on the life of a hero and to live out his message of social justice.
Strobe lights, music, karaoke and chocolate fondue - sounds like a party!