FITCHBURG – The public is invited to celebrate the dedication of Fitchburg State College’s newest – and greenest – building, the Mara 8 residence hall, at 11 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13.
The building, home to 104 students, was designed and built to be as green as possible, maximizing energy savings and water efficiency while reducing carbon dioxide emissions and improving indoor environmental quality. The college is seeking LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification from the U.S. Green Building Council for the project.
“For years the college has coped with overcrowding in its residence halls, and the addition of Mara 8 has gone a long way to relieving those issues even as we have enrolled one of our largest classes in decades,” President Robert V. Antonucci said. “We are also proud that Mara 8 has been built with the environment in mind, demonstrating the college’s commitment to green initiatives.”
Mara 8 is designed to use significantly less water and energy than comparable buildings of its size and function.
The new residence hall, the eighth building in the complex known as Mara Village, features four-bedroom suites with two bathrooms apiece and shared living spaces. The bedrooms are double occupancy. Mara Village is named for the late Vincent J. Mara, the college’s longtime president. About half the college’s undergraduate students live on campus.
The project was bonded by the Massachusetts State College Building Authority.
President Antonucci will be joined Tuesday by members of the college’s Board of Trustees, representatives from the Massachusetts State College Building Authority and Fitchburg Mayor Lisa A. Wong. Refreshments and tours of the building will follow the dedication ceremony. |
