Pocono News Section

New Green Architecture Building Opens at Marywood

New Green Architecture Building Opens at Marywood - Tuesday, September 1, 2009 at 5:45PM EST

Reported by: Eric Deabill
Tuesday, Sep 1, 2009 @ 05:45pm EST
SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY- It took more than a year and a-half of planning. And Tuesday the region's first school of architecture finally opened. Nearly 50 students will make up the first class at Marywood University.

What was once a closed, stuffy gym now has new life. It’s open, spacey and the new home for the Marywood School of Architecture. Danielle Congdon said, “It’s so exciting. Everything is so new. It’s a little overwhelming, but exciting at the same time."

49 students make up the first class. The founding dean was only originally expecting only 20. Salvatore Verrastro said, “I was looking at a bunch of different schools and this one stood out to me with the new program and everything like that."

Take a look around the new school of architecture. Each student will have his or her own desk on the ground floor. While upstairs there's studio space and even a multi-purpose gallery.

School of Architecture Dean Gregory Hunt said, “We're trying to emphasize open flowing space and avoid any closed off cubicle space."

As the inaugural class got their first look around Tuesday, many say the openness of the building will help with their studies. Mark Supinski said, “You have more of an opportunity to get into your project it seems like with more room and stuff. I love it."

Another highlight of the building is its green roof. The plants will rely on rainwater and leftover water will be used for plumbing needs. “As a school, we are consciously committed to sustainability. We want to do everything green," said Hunt.

And go green they did. Nearly 92% of the new school's construction waste was reused in some way.

Many of the students in the first class are local, but others come from New Jersey and even Maryland.