Bauer Hall at The Living Village is a newly constructed regenerative living community adjacent to the Yale Divinity School. Giving back to the environment more than it takes, the Living Village will be the largest living uilding residential complex on a university campus. Designed to meet the Living Building Challenge, the most aggressive for sustainable buildings today, this residence will serve as a key component of Yale Divinity School’s sustainable future. 
The three-story building will have three student apartment types (see below) and will have a one-year residency limit per resident. All units will be fully furnished and will inlcude access to communal lounges, study rooms and a bike storage room. The building is fully ADA compliant, including elevators and accessible rooms (students requiring accessible housing accommodation should be in touch with Student Accessibility Services as soon as possible).
The building grounds have a variety of public outdoor spaces, including a community courtyard, scenic terrace, amphitheater, orchard, kitchen gardens and lawn looking out toward East Rock. The building also features a large community kitchen and dining room that will be availalbe to the entire Divinity School community through a reservation system.
Bauer Hall at the Living Village is intended to be more than just a place to live. It is a committment to regenerative communal living. As such, Bauer Hall residents resolve to:
- Understand themselves as responsible stewards of their communal lived environment.
- Attend a building orientation at the beginning of the year.
- Participate in gatherings for the community.
- Become informed about and participate in recylcling and kitchen waste composting practices.
- Be conscientious about their own water and energy consumption.
- Be proactive in reducing their own carbon footprint.
- Participate in the care of kitchen gardens
There will be programming on campus to offer information and support for the above committments.
Bauer Hall has a one-year occupancy limit (August 1-June 30) and is non-renewable. Residents will have the option to transfer the Divinity Sterling Quadrangle (Bellamy, Curtis, Fisher Halls).
Current residents in the Divinity Sterling Quadrangle who wish to transfer to Bauer Hall will be required to vacate June 30th and find alternative housing July 1-30 until move in on August 1st. There will be no exceptions to this policy.
Micro Units
Each micro unit is 250 square feet (350 square for ADA unit) and includes a private bathroom and shower. Micro units are furnished with a extra large twin bed, desk with task chair and a wardrobe cabinet. All micro unit residents will share a kitchen with 4-5 other micro unit residents. Shared kitchens will include one full-sized refrigerator, microwave, oven, stove-top, sink and dishwasher. Within the shared kitchen there will be designated shelving space, but micro residents may want to purchase small carts in which to store own pots, pans, plates, bowls, cups and silverware (not provided). Due to energy conservation committments, micro unit residents will be prohibited from having mini-fridges, hot plates, and microwares in their apartments. Each group of residents sharing a kitchen will be required to attend one monthly gathering to address community issues for their kitchen. Micro residents will also need to participate in kitchen cleaning and compost removal tasks.
Efficiency Apartments
Efficiency apartments are 290-300 square feet (340 square feet for ADA units) and include a private bathroom with shower and a kitchen containing a full-size refrigerator, microwave, oven, stove-top and sink. These apartments are furnished with a extra large twin bed, desk with task chair and a wardrobe cabinet.
1-Bedroom Apartments
1-bedroom apartments are 400 square feet (510 square feet for ADA unit) and include private bathroom with shower and a kitchen containing a full-size refrigerator, microwave, oven, stove-top and sink. These apartments which could accommodate a couple are furnished with a full-size bed, wardrobe cabinet and a small dining table with two chairs.
Other Features
- Bauer Hall will have 8 micro-units, 29 efficiency studios, and 4 1-bedroom apartments open to YDS students in the housing lottery.
- The building is unique, having been constructed using Forest Stewardship Council wood.
- The materials used in residential units include white oak flooring, and exposed cross laminated timber ceilings.
- All wood furniture in the micro units, shared kitchens and study rooms has been built utilizing the trees that were removed from the site to allow for the Living Village construction.
- All other units are furnished with locally sourced, custom-made wood furniture.
- All units have windows that can be opened and closed, blinds and ceiling fan.
Internet Access and Mail/Package Delivery
- Units in the Bauer Hall are provided with WiFi. Students accessing the Yale network must register their computers at www.yale.edu/netreg for full use of the internet.
- A mail room is located inside the building.
Security Access for Residential Areas
All entrances to the Living Village and Bauer Hall will be controlled by Yale ID swipe access. While the large communal kitchen and outdoor spaces will be accessible to the entire Divinity School community, the residental hallways, communal lounges, and micro-unit shared kitchens will be restricted Bauer Hall residents.