• 70,000 sq. ft. new
• $18.9 million contract
• 18 month construction schedule
• Gold Level LEED Certification

McLane and Fahey Residence Hall is a five-story, 70,000 square foot, brick, load-bearing block, concrete plank and structural steel facility. The project was built under the US Green Building Council's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Program and has been awarded the Gold Level LEED Certification. The new dormitory, designed by the architectural firm of Atkin, Olshin, Lawson-Bell of Philadelphia, PA, houses 170 students and includes several common and study rooms.

The new building is nestled among several older buildings on this busy college campus and the site provided several challenges to the construction team. An existing steam line providing steam for the President's house was located through the middle of the new foundation site. Before the foundation work could begin, a temporary steam unit was installed, which allowed removal of the existing line. In an effort to save a large elm tree on the site, a 12 foot high retaining wall constructed of concrete block was installed. This type of material is normally used for finished retaining walls, but as the foundation was backfilled, the top two courses of this retaining wall were removed, leaving the remaining wall in place to be buried.

Another unique feature of the construction is the in-slab radiant system, which not only provides the heating for the facility, but the cooling as well. Two standing column wells (approximately 1,500 feet deep) provide the geothermal source for the system.

On September 19, 2006 the new building (east residence and west residence) was dedicated to the Fahey and McLane families in appreciation of their gifts and support of the facilities at Dartmouth College.

North Branch Construction was awarded the 2007 ABC "Excellence in Construction" Award of Merit for this project. The project received the Gold Level LEED Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council in February 2008.