The North Residence Halls for Pomona College form the northeast corner of that historic campus, creating a well-defined but neighborly edge. The project consists of two separate L-shaped buildings, both buildings being a combination of two and three stories. All the student rooms are single bedrooms in suites of 3, 4, 5, and 6 students. The 4-person suites predominate. Each suite has a living room and its own shower and toilet facilities. Other functions contained in the two residence halls include group lounges and kitchens on each floor, laundry rooms, study rooms, space for campus-wide activities and a large kitchen and meeting room as a general use facility for the north campus area. Additionally there is a an apartment for visiting faculty in each building and a staff apartment in Building B.
Building A, the more northerly residence with 73 student beds, sits over an underground parking structure and encloses the eastern side of a re-configured Athearn Field, defined on the west by the existing Clark I residence hall. The building to the south, Building B, with 77 student beds, is sited immediately east of Lawry Court. The project is slated for a LEED™ Gold Rating and incorporates principles of thermal-mass as a key element of its sustainability. Solar heating of hot water for domestic and space heating use as well as an 80kW photovoltaic system are integral parts of the project.
The buildings are clad in punched window R-19 insulated precast, or “Sandwich” panels, that are architecturally exposed and finished – both outside as well as inside. Designed in this way, the panels enable the dorms to take advantage of the thermal mass of concrete which moderates the outdoor temperatures, keeping it cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter – a key element in the energy strategy used on the building, helping contribute to its LEED Gold certification.
Clark Pacific’s panels helped meet the functional needs of the residence halls, saved time and money upfront, and ultimately delivered a visually pleasing design and living space for Pomona College’s students.
