St. George’s School

Costructed in 1952, the original dormitory complex consisted of three separate buildings, Arden Hall, Diman Hall, and Diman North. Today, the buildings are internally connected and known as the Arden, Diman, and Eccles Dormitories. Since the complex was originally constructed in a different era, St. George’s School felt it was time to reimagine and fully renovate the dormitories to better serve its students and community. Kohler Ronan is pleased to have provided MEP/FP designs and services alongside Voith & Mactavish for the reimagined academic dormitories.

Critical to the renovation was the preservation of the building’s historic structure. This included the building’s historic clock tower located at its center in Diman Hall. Orginally housing just boys, the new dormitories now also house girls. Each are housed at opposite sides of Diman Hall, separated by its new common area. Beneath the clock tower, at it’s core, lives this new community gathering area that provides the boys and girls with a common space for social and academic purposes. To accommodate this new area, the west side of Diman Hall, beneath the clock tower, was expanded.

On the west side, the building’s lower level provides lounge areas for day-students while the first floor was renovated to accommodate a two-story lounge. As part of Eccles Dormitory, a kitchen and common rooms was provided on the east side overlooking the quad. The third floor also consists of a kitchen and common rooms, however, this was part of a new expansion of the west side for Arden Hall.

Kohler Ronan provided mechanical systems for all spaces consisting of variable volume refrigerant (VVR) units, capable of providing heating and cooling in multiple zones simultaneously. Direct digital controls were provided and connected back to the campus BMS for mechanical units that serve both the dormitories and common spaces. A direct expansion dedicated outside air system (DOAS) for fresh air was provided for all dorm rooms and common spaces. Electrical service was coordinated with the owner to maintain electrical campus infrastructure. Additionnaly, an addressable fire alarm system, connecting back to the central campus, was provided for life safety. Kohler Ronan also coordinated domestic and fire protection fire services with campus water supply.

Photo credit: © Jeffrey Totaro, 2023