Catawba College's Abernethy Village, a complex of five residence halls, has been LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified by the U.S. Green Building Council. The certification recognizes these residence halls as meeting standards for environmentally sustainable construction.

The LEED certification for Abernethy Village is a first for Catawba College. It follows a 2007 College action, authorized by the College Board of Trustees, in which Catawba became one of hundreds of higher education institutions in the U.S. to sign the American College and Universities Presidents Climate Commitment (ACUPCC) . By signing this commitment, Catawba agreed to take action to reduce its carbon footprint and the construction of Abernethy Village, which used standards for environmentally sustainable construction, became one of the first major steps in this process.

"We are very proud to have Abernethy Village LEED certified," said Catawba College President Dr. Craig Turner. "It is a testament to Catawba's commitment to the environment and a very tangible, public way that we can demonstrate to our students who live in these residence halls that we have such a commitment."

Since its inception in 1998, LEED has grown to include over 35,000 projects in the U.S. and 91 countries. LEED certified projects are designated at one of several levels:  Certified, Silver, Gold or Platinum. Catawba's Abernethy Village is designated at the "Certified" level as new construction.

The residence halls of Abernethy Village, which opened in the fall of 2007, collectively house 124 students in single and double room accommodations. Access to them is limited to upper-class students (juniors and seniors).

Two of the halls (Goodman East and Goodman West) feature suite-style living spaces which share common study areas on the second and third floors and two kitchens per building which are shared by residents on all three floors. Three of the halls (Fuller, Graham and Purcell) feature apartment-style living spaces with a kitchen per apartment. All five halls are sprinkled and are handicap accessible on each first floor level.

Energy efficient lighting has been installed in each hall, as well as Energy Star appliances (washers and refrigerators). Dual-flush toilets and low-flow, energy efficient shower heads and faucets are also used. These residence halls are heated and cooled using geothermal technology and incorporate high efficiency windows. The halls include CO2 monitors in each living space (to help eliminate sick building syndrome by supplying fresh outside air to the enclosed living environment). Landscaping around these facilities incorporate native plantings to reduce water consumption and mowing.

The residence halls of Abernethy Villages, like Catawba's other residence halls, are equipped with new ‘smart card' or campus ‘one card' technology. This technology incorporates a chip which allows students access to their residence hall by simply flashing their card near a proximity reader and a magnetic stripe which allows students to obtain meals in the dining hall or make purchases in the college bookstore, debiting their account. The ‘smart card' technology also allows remote monitoring of the entrances to the residence halls, indicating when doors are ajar, and recording which students enter the halls at what times.

In addition to the Catawba College Facilities Department, three companies were instrumental in the successful completion of the residence halls of Abernethy Village. They include Lawler-Wood, L.L.C of Knoxville, Tennessee, Walter Robbs Callahan and Pierce Architects, P.A. of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and Summit Developers, Inc., of Salisbury.

Abernethy Village stands in the place of Abernethy Hall and is dedicated as a tribute and memorial to the Abernethy Family. Abernethy Hall was originally dedicated in 1966 in honor of Julius Whitener Abernethy Sr. of Newton, a longtime Catawba trustee and benefactor. Julius Abernethy's nephew, the late Claude S. Abernethy, Jr., and his great-nephew, C. Shuford Abernethy, III '82, both served on the College Board of Trustees.

The residence halls of Abernethy Village include Fuller, Graham, Goodman East and Goodman West, and Purcell.

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