St. Martin's House, our new residence hall for boys



View live construction progress on the:

Portsmouth Abbey Cam

(click here!)

Live from 6am-8pm every day!

The 28,477-square-foot, state-of-the art residence, St. Martin's House, will house 30 male boarding students, three faculty residences, and 14 day student lockers in a 226-square-foot day student lounge. Construction of the dorm will be underway throughout the remainder of 2011, and move-in is slated for the beginning of the 2012-13 School year. The building will also feature a 309-square-foot computer/study room and dorm-wide wireless computer network access. The two-story common room will open onto a new terrace, and student laundry service and housekeeping offices will be housed at basement level.

Of special significance is that the dorm will be built with a wide range of "green" systems and features, including certified wood and low-VOC construction materials; solar panels to provide domestic hot water; a high-efficiency, low-VOC icynene insulation system; aluminum-clad wood windows with insulating, low E-glass; flooring materials from renewable and recycled sources; Energy Star-rated appliances; motion-sensing lighting control; high-efficiency lighting; high-efficiency, low-emissions boilers; and low-flow toilets, touchless faucets, and waterless urinals.
 
Every system used in the building, specified by Paul Jestings and Portsmouth Abbey School and incorporated by leading "green" architectural firm ARC, of Cambridge, MA, adheres to strict standards for energy consumption and conservation, resource preservation and healthful environments.
 
Construction of the "eco-friendly" building is part of the School's Strategic Plan which, at the direction of the monastic community, is to include renewable energy projects whenever possible.  In addition to operating the state's first commercial-grade wind turbine, the Portsmouth Abbey School campus is home to a self-sufficient solar house, an energy-efficient girls' dormitory, two electric maintenance vehicles, a "tray-less" dining hall, a composting program, and a partnership with Newport Biodiesel (the School provides the waste cooking oil used by its dining services to Newport Biodiesel for clean-burning alternative fuel).