The announcement came during the group's annual "Raise the Roof Breakfast," which is hosted each year in order to raise money for the local Habitat chapter. Sponsored by Easthampton Savings Bank, the event was held at the Garden House at Look Park in Northampton. The ceremony also featured speeches from those who had received a home from Habitat for Humanity.
Several supporters from Amherst, Greenfield, Northampton, Orange and Turners Falls attended the event along with members of the chapter. Several members of the College community were also present that morning. Among those representing the College were Director of Facilities Planning and Management Jim Brassord, Director of Community Outreach Scott Laidlaw, Frank Park '07, Nitya Viswanathan '07 and Rohan Mascarenhas '07.
The three students are responsible for coordinating and recruiting volunteers who assist with fundraising and constructing the four houses. They are currently working to raise awareness about the larger housing crisis in the Amherst community.
The four houses were designed by Kunh Riddle Architects, located in Amherst. The College's physical plant was also involved with planning the construction of the four homes. The College has decided to prolong the construction of the four houses to a period of four years, with one house to be built each year. This phased approach will maximize the number of students who can participate in the actual building process. Construction on the first house is scheduled to begin in the fall of 2006.
The design of the houses reflects the College's commitment to preserving the environment. "We set the goal to make the designs [of the houses] as environmentally friendly as possible," said Brassord.
All the houses will face south in order to maximize solar gain in the winter and provide shade in the summer. Furthermore, the roof of each house will be equipped with photo voltaic panels generating electricity for the home. Physical plant will use sustainable, local materials for each home. Brassord said that these precise building plans will not only benefit the environment but also will make the homes more affordable.
The College also aims to ensure that the homes will be visually appealing. "We felt that we should aspire to a higher aesthetic level and contribute to the community through aestheticism," said Brassord. "We want to dispel the notion that nicely designed homes are expensive. There can be designs at affordable costs."
The College's involvement with Habitat began more than five years ago when James Planchett '00 presented the idea of donating College land to then-president Tom Gerety. After Planchett's graduation, the project seemed to stagnate until Park, Viswanathan and Mascarenhas decided to continue working towards Planchett's goal.
Viswanathan remembered her excitement to rekindle the College's relationship with Habitat. "When I started with working with Habitat my freshman year, 2003, the project had been put on the back burner," she said. "We met with President [Anthony] Marx to bring the idea to his attention again. He brought it up at the trustees meeting and got the ball rolling on the project."
By donating land to Habitat for Humanity, the College hopes to encourage community outreach among students. With the construction site only walking distance from campus, any interested student or faculty member has the opportunity to volunteer.
Everyone is encouraged to become a part of the Amherst College Habitat effort. Laidlaw said that he felt it was important for students to become involved. "This is an excellent educational opportunity to learn about issues and factors that impact families," said Laidlaw. "Students will learn about running a non-profit and why that's important in a democratic society."
Laidlaw went on to explain that the College is interested in challenging students to change the culture of community service. "This is a fantastic way for students and faculty to get involved in a sustainable way," he said.
Although he acknowledged the short period of time students would be able to work on the project, Laidlaw said he felt the experience would be meaningful. "[I want to emphasize] the importance of building community for the College as an institution," he said. "We understand it's a transitory commitment because students eventually leave the town of Amherst, but hopefully students will take away skills that they can use in the future."
The students heading the effort wanted to remind the community that taking part in the building of the houses is not the only way to contribute to the success of the project. "A major part of successfully completing this project will be fundraising since each house will cost $80,000 to build," said Viswanathan.
The College will host a reception to announce their donation tonight at 8 p.m. in the Cole Assembly Room of Converse Hall.