When conversations about building a new Center for Global Engagement (CGE) began more than 10 years ago, sustainability was already high on the list of priorities, according to Alexis Reyes, Pomona’s director of sustainability and energy management.
The planning team knew they wanted to achieve LEED Gold Certification, a high-level sustainability designation awarded by the U.S. Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program, the world’s most widely used green building rating system.
“LEED continually gets more and more challenging,” says Reyes, “So this will be Pomona's first LEED building under their v4.1 standards. Having that as a goal encouraged us to make some decisions that may be more expensive, but are also better for the planet and for the students, faculty and staff who will live and work in the CGE.”
Integrating LEED into the process at an early stage, she says, has kept the project management team on the same page and has informed the work of the many committees of faculty, students and staff that have met over the years to discuss aspects of the new building.
“It’s something that has held us all together,” says Reyes. “The CGE has been thoughtfully planned to operate as efficiently and comfortably as possible.”
When it opens in 2028, the building will use 50% less energy than a typical structure of its size. Other sustainability features will include:
A 128-kW rooftop solar array
A bank of solar arrays will top the CGE, bringing to 13 the number of campus buildings with such rooftop equipment. Around 3% of the College’s total electricity usage comes from on-campus solar, says Reyes, who adds that the goal is to increase that to 10% by 2030.
“This building very much helps with that goal,” she notes, “and the energy usage of this building will be far less than Oldenborg, even though the structure will be slightly larger.”
The renewable electricity generated by the solar array at CGE will offset around 21% of the building’s annual energy use.
A high-reflectance roof
The design of the CGE balances sustainability with the historic “college in a garden” concept that informs Pomona's planning and landscaping. Spanish tiled roofs are iconic at the College, and the new building continues that tradition. Flat areas of the roof have been covered with a white membrane material that allows heat from the sun to bounce back rather than be absorbed, keeping the building cooler and saving energy costs.
Hybrid electric application
With a desire to move away from natural gas—with its fossil fuel usage and health implications—the College considered making the CGE an all-electric system.
“After conducting an engineering analysis and interviewing people in commercial buildings across Southern California that were also considering it, we did not end up feeling comfortable making it all electric,” says Reyes. “The commercial equipment is not as advanced as residential equipment—it hasn’t been around as long and there are issues—so that was a no, but we did want to honor our community’s desire to move towards electrification.”
The solution they ultimately landed on was to use a hybrid system, with all-electric residence hall kitchens, lounges and apartments—featuring electric stoves and water heaters and electric mini splits—and gas-powered technology for larger central systems.
“It’s part of our goal to electrify more of these systems on campus, study them and have our HVAC team learn how to use these new technologies so that we can continue to replicate this across campus,” says Reyes.
Diverted demolition waste
The project is on track to achieve the goal of 90% construction waste diversion from the landfill through recycling. Concrete and metal from the demolition of Oldenborg has been sorted into large piles on the construction site. After being crushed or melted, the materials will be turned back into construction material for reuse.
Right-sized heating and cooling systems
In the 1970s and ’80s, when energy prices were low, it was common practice to use the biggest heating or cooling unit possible in a space. Now, says Reyes, “we’re much more mindful of the usage and the cost.” For the CGE construction, energy models have been deployed to estimate accurately how much cooling and heating the building will need based on its occupancy, and units have been right-sized to reduce energy consumption.
Furniture reuse
Instead of being discarded, Oldenborg’s dorm furniture has been temporarily distributed to the other residence halls on campus that are accommodating students who previously resided at Oldenborg. When the CGE opens and extra furniture is no longer needed, the College will work with a furniture reuse company to redistribute the surplus furniture.
Meanwhile, Oldenborg’s lounge furniture has been reupholstered and restained and is currently being used in dorm lounges across campus. “Lounges are always in need of furniture,” says Reyes, “and the furniture is good—it was from the ’70s and ’80s and is very sturdy.”
Dry wells to capture stormwater
Claremont is unusual in Southern California in that about half of its water comes from local sources instead of being imported. The College helps replenish that groundwater aquifer with dry wells that capture stormwater.
Though they will go largely unnoticed by visitors, the CGE building will feature several dry wells covered by grates and filled with stone and gravel. The wells will never fill up or overflow because the water filters through the gravel and other material and gradually seeps into the ground.
“Stormwater picks up lots of debris or chemicals or gasoline,” says Reyes. “The rocks and sediments purify all of that before it goes into our groundwater basin.”
Native and drought-tolerant landscaping
Around a decade ago, the College opted to switch to drought-tolerant plants for campus landscaping. In more recent years, says Reyes, the strategy has more specifically highlighted Southern California native species.
“We’ve become a lot more intentional with the plants that we put across campus,” she says, “while also aiming to still have flowering plants that can help with the pollinators and plants that flower in different seasons.”
Recent examples of planting projects guided by these principles include the areas around the CARW and near Frary/Walker—filled with sagebrush, milkweed and yarrow—which resulted from a collaboration with Professor of Biology Wallace Meyer, the California Botanic Garden, Pomona College EcoReps and student government.
Some of the native plants that will bloom around the CGE include Pigeon Point Coyote Brush, Foothill Sedge, Mound San Bruno Coffeeberry, Evergreen Currant and White Graham Sage. By using native and drought-tolerant landscaping with drip irrigation, outdoor water use will be reduced by approximately 50%.
Low-flow plumbing fixtures
While the College has been proactive in retrofitting its plumbing to low-flow fixtures across campus, California standards have become increasingly stringent and the CGE building will represent the most current standards for all its plumbing, including showers and toilets, reducing indoor water use by approximately 45%.
High-performance windows
Insulated dual pane windows with exterior shading will keep the building cool—by keeping the sun’s heat from entering the building—and save on energy costs while also reducing lighting needs.
“You still get the daylight, but you don’t get the heat that comes with it,” says Reyes. “It’s just going to be a lot more comfortable. You can sit by a window and not feel like the sun’s beating down on you.”