For the first time in 50 years, Sweet Briar added a new student housing facility on campus. Sixty students will be housed in the five buildings that make up the first phase of the project, which was completed in time for students to move in for the Fall 2009 semester. Each building was three stories tall and designed to house twelve students. The Green Village is so named because was built to be environmentally friendly. The buildings and site were planned out with sustainability and aesthetics in mind.
The project included site layout for the buildings, grading, erosion and sediment control, roadway and parking lot design, stormwater management for quality and quantity. Hurt and Proffitt assisted the college in obtaining a special exemption permit to allow construction of the facility in an area zoned for agricultural use. Sweet Briar College wanted to make this project environmentally friendly with options for solar power, rainwater recapture, pedestrian friendly paths, and other sustainable features. This posed a particular challenge for the site layout since the building orientation had to allow for the solar panels while still addressing the topography and public safety. Due to the height of the building, particular attention had to be paid to access for fire trucks. Hurt and Proffitt, coordinated with Amherst County life safety personnel to ensure sufficient access to the site. The final layout incorporated all of these features in a way that made the site functional, sustainable, and aesthetically pleasing.