American manufacturer Ford announced, together with the Smith College, the dedication of a new science and engineering facility for the Massachusetts school’s Picker Engineering Program. Dubbed Ford Hall, the new building is the result of a $10 million Ford donation and an additional $2.6 million for the support of the engineering program.
“We’re proud of our partnership with Smith College and the opportunity to participate in the building of Ford Hall,” Jim Vella, Ford Motor Company Fund president said in a release. “We are confident that together we can make real advances to safeguard the health of this planet and protect its resources. With Ford Hall, we are joining with faculty and students of Smith College as engineers of a better world for future generations.”
The building has been certified as being a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), the first of its kind on the campus of the college. It uses green roofs, porous pavement, vegetated swales, environmentally responsible mechanical systems and the use of a combined heat and power co-generation system.
“Ford Hall represents the essence of a sustainable future,” Nancy Gioia, Ford Global Electrification added. “It is an example of how we need to think and build going forward – with sustainable materials, energy efficiency and environmental compatibility. Ford Hall is also a challenging and enabling environment for our future generations of women scientists and engineers – those who will generate the ideas and make a reality tomorrow’s collaborative solutions for long-term sustainability.”
The Picker Engineering program, which will be housed in the building, is the first and about the only accredited engineering program for women.
“We’re proud of our partnership with Smith College and the opportunity to participate in the building of Ford Hall,” Jim Vella, Ford Motor Company Fund president said in a release. “We are confident that together we can make real advances to safeguard the health of this planet and protect its resources. With Ford Hall, we are joining with faculty and students of Smith College as engineers of a better world for future generations.”
The building has been certified as being a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED), the first of its kind on the campus of the college. It uses green roofs, porous pavement, vegetated swales, environmentally responsible mechanical systems and the use of a combined heat and power co-generation system.
“Ford Hall represents the essence of a sustainable future,” Nancy Gioia, Ford Global Electrification added. “It is an example of how we need to think and build going forward – with sustainable materials, energy efficiency and environmental compatibility. Ford Hall is also a challenging and enabling environment for our future generations of women scientists and engineers – those who will generate the ideas and make a reality tomorrow’s collaborative solutions for long-term sustainability.”
The Picker Engineering program, which will be housed in the building, is the first and about the only accredited engineering program for women.