Chancellor Woodson’s new residence, The Point, is being constructed on Centennial Campus. The house will have living space for the chancellor and his family, and it will serve as a venue for the chancellor to host donors and friends of the University.
Chancellor Woodson said The Point will help him to be a more effective fundraiser for the University.
”The chancellor’s job is increasing fundraising for the University. The house will be a great asset to host more events and keep people connected to N.C. State,” Woodson said.
Marvin Malecha, the dean of the design school and designer for the residence, said the house will be large, but it functions as more than a residence.
“It will be a little more than 8,500 [square feet], closer to 9,000,” said Malecha. “Upstairs, where the chancellor will live, is right around 3,000 feet. This is a place where you will have two hundred people over for a reception regularly, and between fourteen and sixty people for a dinner regularly.”
An effort has been made to reduce the environmental effect of the residence.
Kevin MacNaughton, associate chancellor for facilities and the house’s project manager, said sustainability systems are being used to reduce the impact of the house.
“The runoff from the roof goes down to a holding pond. We will take this water and use it for irrigation,” MacNaughton said. “Heating and air conditioning on the house will be a geothermal system, which is about forty percent more efficient than a heat pump system. The predominant number of lights in the house will be LED. They are very efficient and also do not have mercury like fluorescents.”
The house will also use renewable sources of electricity, according to Malecha.
“We are using some wind generation for power and some solar generation for power,” Malecha said. “We must lead towards carbon neutrality in the future.”
Malecha explained that the University will attempt to have the building LEED certified, but the size of the house will make the process difficult.
“We aspire for this residence to be LEED certified,” Malecha said. “[LEED certification] is extremely difficult, because we have points in the hole for the size of the residence, although it is not solely a residence.”
Woodson explained the importance of the University building structures that are environmentally friendly.
“Given N.C. State’s technological advantage over many universities, we feel our facilities should set an example for the rest of the country,” Woodson said. “I’m thrilled that The Point is meeting those expectations.”
In addition to being eco-friendly, many supplies for the residence are from North Carolina, according to MacNaughton and Malecha.
“Just about everything in the house will be made in North Carolina,” MacNaughton said.
“We took a strategy of this is a house of North Carolina state, not only North Carolina [State] University,” Malecha said. “We call it a little, mini stimulus project.”
This “stimulus” is not funded by the state, according to Charles Leffler, vice chancellor for finance and business. Leffler said that the construction of the residence is funded by private donations.
“It is being paid for by gifts and gifts in kind,” Leffler said. “We are not using state funds or tuition money.
Leffler explained that these gifts cannot be directed to other projects.
“Gifts were given specifically for the house. If we do not use them for the chancellor’s residence, we would have to give the gifts back,” Leffler said.
David Jones, an undeclared freshman, said the chancellor’s residence seems ahead of its time.
“It sounds like they are ahead of the curve. A lot of buildings don’t have the money to use those technologies,” Jones said. “At least where I’m from, everyone wishes they could be as environmentally friendly as [the chancellor’s residence] sounds like it will be.”
Austin Brooks, a junior in history, said he approved of using supplies from North Carolina to build the residence.
It’s a good thing, it saves the environment all the more be saving on transportations,” Brooks said.
