Solebury School is building what it calls “a new standard of sustainable living” on its 140-acre campus in Solebury Township. Named Hope Hall, the new residential project will include 32 dormitory rooms and four faculty apartments.
The structure is the first new building on the private school’s campus since 2007 and will be one of Pennsylvania’s first Passive House multi-unit residential buildings, according to school officials. Designed by Philadelphia-based Metcalfe Architecture & Design, the project will “significantly reduce the school’s carbon footprint and energy consumption,” the school said, in a statement.
In keeping with Solebury School’s agrarian history, Hope Hall’s exterior will be “farmhouse-inspired” with modern interior amenities.
Besides the new dormitory, the all-gender boarding and day school will replace its aging wastewater treatment plant to support its growth. Using microbioreactor technology (MBR), the new plant will “essentially become one of the most sophisticated outdoor laboratories on campus,” the school said.
Head of School Tom Wilschutz said the ambitious project aligns with Solebury School’s strategic plan for sustainability, as it moves to accommodate its growing enrollment.
“We are experiencing our largest and most diverse boarding enrollment since the late 1960s and will continue to grow,” said Wilschutz. “Adding a new dormitory will allow us to enroll more boarding students. The additional dormitory and planned infrastructure upgrades will support our students, faculty and facilities now and into the future.”
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