Worcester Polytechnic Institute

In addition to expanding the population of upperclass students on campus, Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s East Hall educates its residents and the public about green design and enriches the school’s environmental science curriculum. Intended as a model for all future green buildings on campus, the LEED Gold residence hall features a palletized green-roof system and, in its lobby, a stormwater monitoring and testing station that measures the rate, quality, flow, and temperature of the water flowing from the reflective white roof, and through the green roof, during a storm.

Four-person apartments and a smattering of studios fill the five-story building’s top four floors, each equipped with a kitchen, a dining area, a living room, and compartmentalized bathrooms. “Technology suites” are available on each floor for academic work. Large expanses of glass along corridors provide visual relief and natural light. First-floor public areas, replete with views of the main campus, Founders Hall, and a landscaped, 40-foot-wide “Arts Walk,” include administrative offices, gaming and community rooms, an exercise room, two music rooms, project rooms, and a laundry/vending room.