The Robert Redford Conservancy at Pitzer College Awarded Project of the Year

The Robert Redford Conservancy for Southern California Sustainability at Piter College has been awarded Project of the Year from United States Green Building Council (USBGC) at its annual Sustainable Innovation Awards (SIA). The project also earned the Honor Award in the SIA Energy + Atmosphere category. The “Oscars” of green building, the awards program affirm project teams commitments to a sustainable built environment, and reflect the emphasis on energy & water savings, air quality, good design, community engagement and equity.

The Redford Conservancy was once an abandoned historic building which had been damaged in a fire. It has been transformed into a LEED Platinum Certified learning environment which is educating the next generation of change makers at Pitzer College. The 12,000 sq. ft. project is also tracking towards Zero Net Energy operation, and, eventually, certification.

Highlights of the project include:

– 91% of the existing building structure/enclosure was reused and reinforced to extend the building’s life cycle by over 50 years.
– Passive design elements included extensive daylighting, thermal massing and natural ventilation.
– Some of the elements in the building serve a dual purpose. For example, the skylight well also acts as a thermal chimney.
– The design strategy used passive elements of the original design to provide a highly efficient HVAC system.
– This project successfully revives and improves an existing building, going above and beyond code regulations.

The Sustainable Innovation Awards recognize projects that go above and beyond credit achievement. The project teams honored this year employed creative strategies that we hope will inspire the design and construction community to push the limits of standard practice.