University of Connecticut
IN-25: Innovation B

In the fall of 2016, more than 700 undergraduate students moved in to NextGen Residence Hall, a newly constructed LEED Silver building completed under the Next Generation Connecticut initiative. The initiative was recently developed to expand educational opportunities, research, and innovation in the science, technology, engineering, and math disciplines over the next decade. NextGen Hall’s sustainable features include a green roof garden, solar heating panels, sun shades, a reflective roof, surrounding rain gardens, water refill stations, energy efficient washers and dryers, low flow water features, and an energy dashboard to monitor the building’s energy usage. The residence hall is unique to all others on campus in both design and concept, as it is focused on creating a sense of community for its residences. Each floor houses a different learning community, including the EcoHouse environmental sustainability-focused learning community. Additionally, the building houses a number of large group spaces, including an idea lab.

Through both the energy dashboards, our annual EcoMadness water and energy usage competitions, as well as annual tracking of energy and water usage throughout the campus, we will be able to measure and compare the outcomes of the green residence hall to others on campus.