Construction is well under way on a new dormitory where Ashley Dormitory stood last year. The dorm is slated to be complete for use at the start of the 2012-2013 academic year. The yet-unnamed building will likely be an underclassman boys’ dorm, replacing the temporary Chapin Hall.
The dormitory will consist of two floors of single rooms, 30 rooms total, and three faculty apartments as opposed to the 30 students to one faculty apartment ratio of Ashley. As in the “barbell” setup common around campus, faculty housing will be on either end of the dormitory and students will live in halls connecting the two ends.
The rooms will have the same light placement and desk-styles as rooms in Louis Marx and John Louis. The exterior of the building will consist of the old Deerfield shingling seen on Harold Smith and John Williams.
The building will incorporate LED lights and solar-heated water. A large common room in the basement, washing and drying machines, and an elevator will be part of the new dorm.
The size of the new dorm does not mean that the school plans to expand the student body size. “Common rooms have all but disappeared during the past four years. We are slowly reclaiming them and getting this new dorm will allow us to restore these important parts of corridor life,” explained Dean of Students Toby Emerson.
Mr. Emerson also said that the new dormitory would include extra space to accommodate exchange students who arrive at Deerfield mid-year.
The dorm was designed by Architectural Resources Cambridge and Erland Construction, Inc. is building it, according to Senior Project Manager Jeffrey Galli. Both firms have worked with Deerfield in the past on John Louis, Louis Marx, Harold Smith and the Dewey Squash center.