Pitzer in the News 2005-2006 Academic Year

Pitzer College creating eco-friendly residential halls

By Caroline An, Staff Writer
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, April 15, 2006

CLAREMONT -- The expansion of Pitzer College residence halls will be energy-efficient and environmentally friendly.

Construction of seven new dormitories, which started this week, will follow U.S. Green Building Council standards.

The council promotes that construction projects use recycled materials and incorporate native plants into the surrounding landscape.

Since 2001, the college has studied the council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program, and based dormitory architectural design on the program's guidelines.

In doing so, the school is seeking a Gold certification for its residence halls, which is the second highest certification issued by the council.

Pitzer officials plan to demolish three dormitories and construct the seven new dormitories in its place.

"By having smaller-occupant dorms, the goal is to foster a sense of community among students," said Richard Chute, director of capital projects & corporate support.

The construction will be completed in three phases, with the first dorm to be ready for students by fall 2007.

More than 750 students are expected to be housed on campus when construction is completed, which will help alleviate housing shortages on campus.

There are 70 colleges and universities across the United States that are redesigning or constructing facilities based on the council's guidelines. Eight, including Harvey Mudd College, have been certified by the LEED program.

Building materials at Pitzer will include pre-manufactured steel, wood from sustainability managed forests and cotton fiber insulation, which is high in recycled content.

The design also calls for reliance on natural air to cool or warm buildings, which will reduce energy costs.

"Depending on what energy-saving measures are incorporated, energy bills can be reduced anywhere from 20 percent to 40 percent a month," said Taryn Holowka, communications manager the Green Building Council.

The LEED program also requests minimizing water demand for any design.

Landscape design at Pitzer calls for extending the campus arboretums around the dormitories and will feature native plants and trees including the California sycamore and California live oak.

In order to reduce car usage on campus, a bicycle program is being considered to help reduce the students reliance on cars for transportation.

School officials hope that the construction results in students gaining "environmental responsibility," said Chute.

Another benefit of building the dormitories will be introducing Southern California -- its climate and native vegetation -- to students.

"This helps them connect the with the Southern California environment and will help to build a relationship with the natural world," Chute said.