‘Not just a building’: Divinity School's Living Village welcomes its first student residents
Dean Greg Sterling assisting Karen Phan ‘27 M.A.R., the first student to move into Bauer Hall at the Living Village
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.