New Building under Construction over the Summer

By Sophie Fahey ‘17
Staff Writer

Currently, the space between Routt, the Sally Tiernan Field House, and Platt is closed off for construction of Scripps’ newest residence hall, currently titled NEW Hall, which is scheduled to open for students in Fall of 2016.

In October, College President Lori Bettison-Varga announced in an email to the Scripps community that a $10 million gift was made by an anonymous donor to support the construction of the college’s tenth residence hall. NEW Hall will cost around $20 million in all, and money for its construction will continue to be raised through the We Want More Campaign, which was launched last fall.

Because the donors have requested to remain anonymous, the residence hall is currently being called NEW Hall. The dorm may receive a more specific name in the future.

The process for building NEW Hall began with the demolition of the old maintenance building at the end of February. The Facilities and Grounds departments were relocated to the basement of Lang.  

The construction is happening between Frankel/Routt and Platt, and extends to the Field House. A barrier has been put up around this area to reduce the noise for students. The Scripps side of Platt’s sidewalk has also been closed.

The construction of NEW Hall will allow the college to continue increasing enrollment. NEW Hall should house around 80-90 students in both rooms and suites. It will also reduce the number of first year triples and the number of students in off-campus housing. Along with the dorm rooms themselves, NEW Hall will include a kitchen, living room, computer room, browsing room and courtyards. The dorm’s living room will be known as the Georgia B. Ridder Living Room, in appreciation of a $1.1 million dollar pledge made by the Georgia B. Ridder Foundation in the memory of Georgia B. Ridder. NEW Hall will follow the distinctive look of the other residence halls, while being very sustainable and energy efficient.

This building will also be pursuing LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) gold certification. “LEED certified buildings save money and resources and have a positive impact on the health of occupants, while promoting renewable, CLEAN ENERGY” (LEED website). NEW Hall will include features such as “low flow water fixtures, high efficiency lighting, Energy Star appliances and drip irrigation” (NEW Hall website).

Construction will continue during the summer months and through the next academic year.
Construction updates are posted at: inside.scrippscollege.edu/treasurer/construction-notices
 You can also visit the NEW Hall website to read more and to see illustrations: www.scrippscollege.edu/newhall