The Bricks Fix for Scioto Hall

NOTE: This release was published on April 1 – April Fools' Day – with the intent of communicating some of the University of Cincinnati's very real sustainability initiatives by announcing a very fake renovation to Scioto Hall. In other words, it's only a joke.

One of the University of Cincinnati’s famed “Three Sisters” residence halls will soon join her recently renovated sibling in sustainable splendor – but in a way many wouldn’t expect.

Plans are in place for the cosmetically challenged Scioto Hall to undergo a massive, eco-friendly transformation, conceptually similar to the 2013 overhaul of Morgens Hall. When the project is complete, Morgens – affectionately nicknamed the Glass House for her sleek, crystalline façade – will greet her “new” sister, the Brick House.

Scioto’s exterior will be remade with 14 floors of reclaimed brick, plaster, some old toaster ovens and a bunch of twin mattresses that were salvaged from the

Morgens Hall renovation

. This innovative “reuse-ification” process is the architectural equivalent of hand-me-down jeans, and could earn Scioto the coveted Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified status.

Together, Morgens and Scioto will represent the yin and yang of what’s possible with the right combination of innovative engineering, advanced technology, environmentally conscious planning and tons and tons of bricks from 1964.

AN ECO-FRIENDLY MONOLITH

Reusing the existing Scioto building and combining it with Morgens’ leftover rubble eliminated the need to send truckloads of debris to a landfill. Plus, on-campus living reduces the use of personal transportation – Scioto residents can

(and we really mean this part)

walk,

borrow a bike

,

rent a Zipcar

or

take a shuttle bus

to get around campus and beyond. Scioto’s austere-yet-cozy interior spaces combined with the insulation advantages of layers upon layers of orange brick will reduce the energy used for heating and cooling.

NAMESAKE & FAMILY HISTORY

Scioto and her sisters – Morgens and Sawyer halls – might have been built at the same time by the same architect

(this part’s also true)

, but now it’s hard to discern any family resemblance. Sawyer was razed in 2006, leaving behind little more than her foundation. Scioto had been closed to students since 2008, and now Morgens is the crown jewel of UC’s on-campus housing.

The three residence halls were built in 1964 by architectural firm F.W. Pressler & Associates for a total cost of $6,525,890. At the time, the residence halls were meant to usher in a new concept in UC housing: high-rise structures.

COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY

And we really mean this too:

Innovative, eco-friendly architecture

has been a UC hallmark since the inception of the university’s Sustainable Design Policy in 2001. One of the university’s goals, as outlined in the

UC2019 Academic Master Plan

, is to create a deliberate and responsible approach to our environment and to UC's resources and operations. In fact, UC has been named

one of The Princeton Review’s top “green” schools

in the country four consecutive years.