The Frontier Project Foundation, established in 2005 by the Cucamonga Valley Water District, has received the �Cornerstone Concrete Excellence Award� from the Southern California Concrete Producers.

HMC Architects designed the 14,000-sq-ft demonstration building, and Turner Construction Co. was the builder. Frontier Project board vice-chair Kathy Tiegs received the award at the 36th annual awards program last month at the South Hills Country Club in West Covina.

�The Frontier Project is designed to be a demonstration building for the community,� says Tiegs. �Being recognized for the innovative use of pervious paving, which contributes to retaining rainwater onsite and reduces runoff to storm drains, we are able to demonstrate a very valuable product for all visitors to learn about.�

The Frontier Project in Rancho Cucamonga has 2,437 sq ft of pervious paving installed in courtyard and garden paths throughout the one-acre campus. In addition to the pervious paving, the project utilizes decomposed granite pathways that contribute to water retention onsite. A 2,000 gallon underground cistern and a 50,000 infiltration basin collect all of the water onsite, which is then used for landscape irrigation or allowed to percolate back into the underground basin.

The Frontier Project site was originally an empty lot and the foundation didn�t want to take away the footprint of allowing rainwater to filter into the underground basin. Established by the Cucamonga Valley Water District, it was important to demonstrate a variety of water efficient methods onsite: the infiltration basin, use of low-water use plants, the pervious paving, and low-water use fixtures in the restrooms and kitchen are all examples of water efficiency at the Frontier Project.

The Frontier Project is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. for visitors and self-guided tours.

The Frontier Project will feature the latest in sustainable design, systems, products and technologies. The goal of the project is to educate residential consumers, commercial builders and sustainable design advocates regarding the latest methods and technologies in water, energy and site conservation.

Current capital partners include the Cucamonga Valley Water District, the City of Rancho Cucamonga and Joseph Filippi Winery, Altek Media Group, Associated Engineers, Chino Basin Water Conservation District, Faust Printing, Floor and Deck Solutions, GM Business Interiors and Herman Miller, Inc., International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers/ National Electrical Contractors Association, Kelly Paper, Nestles Water of North America, RainBird, Stantec Engineering, Turner Construction, Senator Bob and Andrea Dutton, and Robert and Julie DeLoach.

The Frontier Project, which is seeking LEED platinum certification, broke ground in April 2008, and was completed June 2009. The building features a demonstration kitchen and living room, a demonstration gallery of various systems and technologies both currently on the market and not yet available, an 80 person conference space, office space, a green roof system and photovoltaic panels, low water use demonstration gardens and a cistern to collect and reuse water onsite.