CLAREMONT, CA—The Norton Garden Building at Pilgrim Place is receiving two Excellence in Design Awards from the City of Claremont’s Architectural Commission.
The awards honor the structures in the categories of New Construction and Sustainable Development.
The 23,000 square foot Norton Garden Building has fifteen offices and three conference rooms for staff and administration. The building also includes thirteen independent living apartments for Pilgrim Place residents.
“The Excellence in Design Awards Program recognizes and encourages high quality design projects in Claremont that exhibit the City’s standards of design excellence,” said Pilgrim Place CEO Bill Cunitz. “We are excited that The Norton Garden Building was deemed worthy of the award.”
“It’s especially prestigious because Claremont is a leader in sustainability,” added Cunitz “They take it seriously.”
The Norton Garden Building and two other structures, all part of a $26.5 million project, were designed to meet the standards of LEED, an acronym for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED is a nationally recognized program of the Green Building Association, establishing guidelines and standards for structures that are environmentally sensitive and sustainable.
LEED-certified buildings offer energy savings, water efficiency, reduced CO2 emissions, improved indoor environmental quality, and other measures. These buildings typically incorporate architecture that makes maximum use of natural light, ultra low-flow plumbing and other fixtures to conserve water. Materials from previous building demolitions that are recycled or incorporated into the new construction.
Pilgrim Place is working with the architect, Jay Blatter of Hochhauser Blatter Architects, and the construction firm, Sunseri Construction, Inc., submitting a package to the Green Building Association for final certification.
Once the designation is awarded, Pilgrim Place will be the first independent, free-standing senior community in the U.S. to have such a designation.
Pilgrim Place was founded in 1915. It is a community for individuals who have been called to careers in religious and charitable non-profit organizations. Approximately 320 retired Christian missionaries, clergy and non-profit professions live on the 32-acre campus. Emblematic of the residents at Pilgrim Place is the continued activism and outreach to others.