Stokes Hall at Boston College's Middle Campus pursues LEED Silver certification

An 183,000 s/f facility, Stokes Hall exists within Boston College's strong Collegiate Gothic Middle Campus context. Conceived as a "home base" for the humanities, this project is a cornerstone of Boston College's institutional master plan and is designed to support the community-centered liberal arts values of a Jesuit education. In addition to humanities departments, the building contains 36 classrooms, core student services, amenities, and gathering spaces for formal and informal activities. The goal to achieve an appropriate programmatic response for the unique historic site fueled several sustainable design advantages. To respect the existing scale and proportions of the Middle Campus, the building is divided into two separate volumes, mechanically connected by a second-level bridge linkage, which also serves as an impromptu student lounge. This treatment of massing allows the building to define a series of key informal and formal outdoor spaces while also creating indoor/outdoor connections. These outdoor connections also serve as a means to passively manage stormwater onsite, reinforced by native landscape species. The granite stone was sourced from a quarry within 500 miles of the site, providing a durable thermal barrier. Proportioned glazing fills the interior with daylight, and the top two office floors of the four-story building feature operable windows. These strategies combine with efficient HVAC equipment to reduce energy use 20.5% below baseline and aids in the facility's meeting of the Stretch Energy Code and pursuit of LEED Silver certification (pending). The building was planned for a 300-year life cycle. "Plug and Play" systems can be easily accessed and retrofitted with minimal disruption to the learning environments, while minimizing waste and maintaining healthy indoor air quality over that duration. Project Team: Construction Manager: Walsh Brothers, Inc. Structural Engineer: LeMessurier Consultants MEP Engineer: BR+A Architect: Tsoi Kobus & Associates Landscape Architect: Stephen Stimson Associates Professional Photographer: Robert Benson Exterior Rendering: Neoscape