In December, the PPR Apartments received special recognition from the Philadelphia chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) during the organization’s annual award ceremony.

DIGSAU, the architecture firm behind the PPR design, earned a gold medal from the AIA for the year’s best built project. In its citation, the jury called the apartments “a dynamic new residential village” and praised how the project seamlessly joined athletic and residential landscapes together. In addition, the PPR Apartments, the first buildings to employ the College’s environmental sustainability framework, were singled out for “comprehensive water management systems, ecologically sensitive landscapes, a zero-waste initiative, and a wide range of energy production and conservation systems.”

“I am very pleased and proud to see DIGSAU and the College receive this important honor for this project,” says senior project manager and ADA program coordinator Susan Smythe. “The PPR Apartments blend into the campus landscape, complementing and highlighting the existing architecture, yet make their own statement. They’ve transformed the baseball field and the spectator experience, and will serve as a model for sustainable building on our campus.”

Read about Swarthmore’s plans for the physical campus at lifechanging.swarthmore.edu.