With its LEED Platinum certification, Pitzer continues to be a leading force in sustainability efforts in the country.
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Claremont, Calif. (October 15, 2012) – Pitzer College’s Residential Life Project Phase II has been awarded LEED Platinum certification by US Green Building Council (USGBC). With four LEED Platinum and four LEED Gold buildings, Pitzer now leads elite liberal arts colleges with the most mixed-use residential buildings certified through the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.
“Pitzer College has a history of commitment to the environment and sustainability. We research it, we teach it, we live it. Now, we have perfected this innovative architectural design where students learn and live in the same space,” said Pitzer College President Laura Skandera Trombley. “This distinction is a great honor and accomplishment for our campus.”
The 70,000-square-foot development, opened this fall, integrates housing for more than 300 students in the same buildings as the Mosbacher/Gartrell Center for Media Experimentation and Activism, the Institute for Global/Local Action and Study, the Office of Study Abroad and International Programs, the Pitzer Archive and Conference Center and the Kallick Family Gallery. There are also seminar rooms, study rooms, computer and digital photography labs, ten media studies editing suites, a demonstration kitchen and apartments for live-in faculty and staff.
More than 40 sustainable features are incorporated into the design of these residential buildings, the highlights include:
- 5,000-square-foot green roof area and a living wall that provide insulation and generate oxygen
- rooftop solar panels to generate an estimated 118,000 kilowatt hours and reduce CO2 emissions by more than 300,000 pounds per year, providing more than 10 percent of Phase II buildings’ annual energy demand
- a graywater collection system to treat up to 90,000 gallons of water per month from residential showers and sinks
- drought-tolerant landscaping which is 100 percent irrigated through the graywater system
- stormwater retention basins with a total capacity of 280,000 gallons capture rainwater runoff
This construction project completes the second phase of Pitzer’s three-phase Master Housing Plan created in 2003. Phase I was completed in 2007 and received LEED Gold certification in 2008. Following the opening of Phase II in fall 2012, 75 percent of Pitzer students living on campus now reside in LEED Platinum or Gold certified sustainable facilities.
Related Links: US Green Building Council
