Sontag Hall and Building B, the dorms under construction on Pomona College’s North Campus, are on schedule to be finished by March 2011.
According to Assistant Vice President and Director of Facilities and Campus Services Bob Robinson, the new dorms will share many of the same features that Pitzer installed in its sustainable housing facilities, including rooftop solar panels, sensors to control air conditioning, LED lights and sustainable rooftop gardens. The energy harnessed by the solar panels will be used to heat the dorm’s water. The rooftop will also have retention basins for collecting storm water to reduce runoff waste.
Robinson said the new dorms will have four, five, and six-person suites with built-in closets. The new dorms will also be the first dorms on campus to have full-size beds.
In addition, each suite will have a living room area and a separate bathroom, and there will be a lounge and kitchen on each floor.
Sontag Hall will feature a large patio area that will be home to a small orange grove, a garden, and a hammock area with umbrellas.
“It will be a nice place for students to relax and unwind,” said Andrea Remella, who has been a prominent member in the overseeing the current construction.
A life-size mock-up of a small section of the new dorms is currently on view on Pomona’s campus, just south of Haldeman Pool. Robinson said the model has multiple purposes, including displaying the outer design of the dorms to students.