College Relations

July 22, 2005

Contact: Margo W.R. Steiner

(978) 542-7505

Salem, Mass. - Just-announced winners in the Education Design Showcase of College Planning and Management include Salem State College. The North Shore college, currently undergoing major expansion, took two honorable mentions in the publication's June edition.

Citing the college's innovative use of both landscape and design in its new residence hall, the Education Design Showcase awarded it honorable mention for a design which allows it to project itself as "a forward-thinking institution, while (still) respecting its residential neighborhood, comprised of traditional New England single-family homes, and defining its place within the city of Salem."

The citation further noted the college's success in connecting "students to the natural environment." A key feature of one of the residence halls courtyards is the way it is "open to the adjoining tidal salt marsh and landscaped with wild meadow grasses, bringing the students into direct contact with the ecosystem and reinforcing the college's maritime heritage."

The architectural firm for this project was Bergmeyer Associates, Inc.

The college received a second honorable mention for the redevelopment of its Central Campus. In partnership with the Division of Capital Asset Management and Salem State College, ICON architecture, inc. programmed and designed the college's 37.5-acre Central Campus to incorporate both renovation and adaptive reuse of the former GTE/Sylvania manufacturing plant, which formerly occupied the space.

Cost-saving methods were thoroughly incorporated in the execution of the project, and extensive life-cycle costing studies were performed prior to design to aid in the selection of high-efficiency lighting, plumbing and HVAC systems. The result - for which the project won its award - has been substantial energy rebates and a significant reduction in long-term operating costs.