Columbia Theological Seminary held a “ground-blessing” at the site of a new $9.6 million student residence hall on April 1, on the Decatur, GA campus. The “green” building is expected to be one of the first buildings to earn LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings.

New South Construction Company is performing the construction services for this three-story residence hall which will include studios, one, two and four-bedroom apartment units, a recreation and workout area accessible to the entire student body, a community kitchen with indoor and outdoor seating and fireplaces, a laundry area for residents, and mechanical and facilities support spaces.The building’s layout organizes residential units on both sides of a central corridor on three residential floors. Major common spaces are located on the ground floor, which overlooks recreation fields. “The character of the living spaces can be categorized as a ‘soft loft,’ with natural flooring, use of bold accent walls and high ceilings in the unit living areas."

The ground-blessing, a departure from the conventional construction ground-breaking, included the dedication of a collection of prayers sent by students, alumni/alumnae, faculty, and staff for placement in the new building’s foundation.