Since October 2019, Groton School has been constructing a new faculty residence behind Hundred House. According to Andy Anderson, Associate Head of School, Groton is hoping to complete construction by next July. The goal of this building is to provide students with better access to their teachers while being environmentally sustainable.

Mr. Anderson said that currently three teaching faculty currently live off-campus. Current construction will include four apartments across two floors and will accommodate four faculty families on campus. The trustees, including Headmaster Temba Maqubela, believe that this building will allow students to more easily meet with their teachers or advisors. Although the school owns more land down Joy Lane, the building is being built closer to Hundred House to increase student access to faculty.

“One of the important factors in a boarding school is that your teachers are living with you and are accessible for extra help, for advising, for feeds. We want to have all our teachers available to students,” Mr. Anderson said. 

Moreover, additional housing is needed for new faculty recently hired to teach during the 2020-21 school year. 

A joint decision was made among trustees to name the new building Gardner Village, as William A. Gardner, one of the original three faculty members of Groton School, once had a house situated in that same space. Currently, the construction site is fenced up from all sides as construction workers from J.H. Spain and Leighton A. White work on electrical systems, water pipes and groundwork. 

Gardner Village will be energy-efficient and will provide infrastructure like electricity and water systems for the addition of future units, according to Mr. Anderson. The building will be the first LEED accredited building on campus, which means it meets international criteria for on-site impact, location, water efficiency, energy efficiency, material selection, and indoor environment quality. 

“The project team is working with LEED rater Mark Price, the principal at Price Sustainability Associates, on the building’s LEED certification,” said Tim Dumont, the Director of Buildings and Grounds. 

The LEED certification levels (from LEED-certified, the lowest level, to platinum, the highest) are defined by points on a rubric, but the exact score Gardner Village will achieve is still undetermined.  

Moreover, Gardner Village will be the school’s first “net-zero” building –– that is, it will have a zero net energy consumption. “In order to achieve ‘net-zero’ status, we will be installing a solar array in the old paddock of the Gardner Stables, and they will produce as much energy as the house consumes throughout the year,” said Mr. Dumont.

The school has raised $4.25 million from gifts and pledges for the building, most of which was acquired during fundraising over the summer from parents and alumni.

The construction will have minimal impact on students. Since the infrastructure is being installed, the road to the back of Hundred House is currently shut down. The road will reopen as soon as the road work is finished.