Yale’s Living Village, a state-of-the-art residential complex designed to give back to the natural environment more than it takes, has emerged as a key component of the Yale Planetary Solutions initiative and the Yale Divinity’s School’s (YDS) growing focus on eco-theology.
And now, for the first time, it is also home to a cohort of students.
Joy and excitement pervaded the sunny hallways of the new residence on Monday as the first students to inhabit the complex moved into the building, which aims to meet the world’s most exacting standards for environmental sustainability.
“This is amazing,” said Zach Ballenger, a first-year master of divinity student, moments after entering his second-floor room. “It is a such a gift to be part of a building and community that is so intentionally crafted to steward the natural world.”
The residential complex was designed to meet the seven principles of the Living Building Challenge (LBC), the most rigorous sustainable building certification program in existence, including sustainable water practices, clean energy generation, and building material safety. It is on track to become the largest residential facility anywhere to achieve the LBC’s Living Certification, according to the International Living Future Institute, which administers the Living Building Challenge.
The lead architectural firm was the Boston-based Bruner/Cott, a leader in environmentally responsible architecture. Subcontractor Höweler + Yoon designed the facility.
This is not just a building, it’s a statement about how to build sustainably. I hope it will influence how universities think about residence halls and other structures moving forward.
As the first students to inhabit the Living Village arrived during the morning, they were greeted by Greg Sterling, the Reverend Henry L. Slack Dean of the school, who helped them get settled in their rooms.
“Personally, this is just thrilling,” Sterling said, pushing a hand cart down the second-floor hallway after helping a student with her luggage. “We built this for students. And seeing their excitement as someone who has spent 10 years on this project is quite literally a dream come true for me.”
Dean Greg Sterling
More than just a dormitory, the complex makes a bold theological statement on the importance of sustainable living and environmental stewardship, Sterling said.
“This is not just a building, it’s a statement about how to build sustainably,” he said. “I hope it will influence how universities think about residence halls and other structures moving forward.”
The Living Village is a featured component of a broader university commitment to generate innovative solutions to environmental challenges through the Yale Planetary Solutions’ ambitious initiative.
The school will host an official celebration on Oct. 6 to mark the building’s opening.
Carol B. Bauer Hall, the Living Village’s primary building, stands adjacent to the Sterling Divinity Quadrangle, the historic hub of the YDS campus. Its three sides combine with quadrangle’s northern wing to form a plaza that leads to the school’s main entrance.
The exterior of the hall is clad in reddish-brown terra-cotta tiles that evoke the quadrangle’s brick facades. Floor-to-ceiling windows on the building’s second floor face the courtyard and enable natural light to illuminate its hallways. (Rows of small dots affixed to the windows are meant to prevent birds from crashing into the glass.)
Named in honor of Carol B. Bauer, a Connecticut philanthropist and longtime chaplain at Norwalk Hospital, the building features a variety of common areas, including kitchens, lounges, and study spaces where students can work, relax, and enjoy each other’s company. She and her husband, George Bauer, were the project’s lead donors.
Construction crews are completing work on the complex’s grounds and landscaping, which will feature gardens, an amphitheater, and expansive terrace offering panoramic views of nearby East Rock.
The Living Village is an example of regenerative architecture, meaning it is intended to move beyond sustainability to enhance and restore natural systems surrounding it, school leaders say. It is equipped with numerous advanced systems to meet the Living Building Challenge, including the solar shingles and a nearby photovoltaic canopy that will produce 110% of the energy needed by the building. (The remaining 10% will be used to offset power used on the existing YDS campus.) Rainwater will be captured and stored in two underground cisterns and reused for spray irrigation and laundry. Wastewater will be processed onsite and reused for toilets and drip irrigation. All storm water will be captured onsite and absorbed into the ground rather than running off into city storm sewers.
Hayden Shaw, a first-year divinity student, described feeling a sense of awe as he and his wife, Alia Stewart-Silver, settled into their new residence.
“It’s a stunning building,” Shaw said. “You can just tell that a huge amount of thought went into every inch of this building. It’s quite a special experience.”
The eco-theological principles the building represents, which interpret religious doctrines and ethical principles to address ecological crises, deeply resonate with the couple, who came to Yale from Durango, Colorado, where they operated a community farm.
“Not only is the building regenerative, but it’s also providing space for us as students to really wrestle with important ecological questions,” Shaw said. “What does it mean to live sustainably? What does it mean to live as a community? And what kind of culture do we want to create here as a living village? We get to wrestle with these questions and as we create the culture that will be passed down to the thousands of students who will walk through these hallways over time.”
You can just tell that a huge amount of thought went into every inch of this building. It’s quite a special experience.
Karen Phan, a graduate student from Plymouth, Massachusetts who was the first student to enter the building on Monday morning, said she’s excited to form a community of students committed to responsible environmental stewardship.
“I hope we can further the principles of the Living Village through individual actions, such as composting and working in the Divinity Farm community garden,” said Phan. “I’m filled with a lot of gratitude to be here, and I believe my peers are, as well.”
For Ballenger, the cutting-edge building serves as a reminder of the need to protect and care for the natural world.
“It calls us to be very intentional and careful about the ways we utilize natural resources,” said Ballenger, who is from Mount Vernon, Ohio. “As future leaders, being able to live in the space for a year and carry these lessons with us moving forward will help us all to make a positive impact beyond this building’s walls.”
