Claremont McKenna College Roberts Pavilion
Claremont, Calif.
Award of Merit

Owner: Claremont McKenna College
Lead Design Firm: John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects Inc.
General Contractor: PCL Construction Services Inc.
Civil Engineer: Psomas
Structural Engineer: Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc.
MEP Engineer: Simpson Gumpertz & Heger Inc.

Built on an extremely constrained site, the $52.8-million sports pavilion project posed interesting design challenges. There is a swimming pool to the west, duct banks with high-voltage power and telecommunications on the south and west sides, busy streets to the south and a running track to the east. The 132,000-sq-ft, three-story structure includes a fitness, athletics and event center.

These limiting conditions led to cost and constructability decisions related to shoring and excavation. To mitigate costs, the team originally planned to provide shoring at only two sides of the excavation while relocating the south duct bank. But the team developed an alternate foundation solution using drilled shafts and grade beams for the west side of the project. This allowed the existing duct bank to remain, saving an estimated $400,000.

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