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Portland State University Delivers on Design

PORTLAND, Ore. — Yost Grube Hall Architecture (YGH) completed the Academic and Student Recreation Center at Portland State University (PSU) in 2010, but is continuing to receive praise for the stellar design. On Nov. 30, YGH, along with university representatives, accepted the 2012 Athletic Business Facility of Merit award — YGH is one of just 10 firms to receive the honor.

The state of Oregon prides itself on sustainable living, and the new center at PSU is a perfect model for the entire state when it comes to energy efficiency and environmentally friendly design. The facility can be used by all students as well as residents throughout the state.

The new LEED Gold certified building features a new gymnasium, pool, jogging track, natatorium and climbing wall. The building also includes academic space for the School of Social Work, offices for the Oregon University System and a new home for the City of Portland Archives.

In order to receive LEED Gold certification the building demonstrated its sustainable features including well water-cooling, UV filtration and a heat recovery system for the pool, maximum solar exposure and an eco-terrace that provides a rainwater harvesting system.

The 208,000-square-foot Academic and Student Recreation Center cost nearly $70 million and was paid for the university, city of Portland and the state of Oregon. Also, in order to fund the building there was a voluntary commitment by PSU students, who contributed to the building through a portion of their student service fees.

The project was completed in a design-build method, with YGH on the design and Skanska USA Building completing construction.

“The success of the project was achieved through a tight collaborative effort between YGH, Skanska and Portland State University,” said Amy Winterowd, marking director at YGH. “Constant communication and a common understanding of what each party’s goals were was essential to setting the stage for completing a challenging project early and within budget.”

Not only is the design and building of the new recreation center impressive at PSU, but the finance method is also equally impressive for the industry and the economic times.

“Public colleges and universities for years now have been strapped for funding and the construction of new publically funded buildings has been few and far between,” said Winterowd. “Yet, in this fiscal environment, PSU has a new $71 million Academic and Student Recreation Center.”

In order to deliver the project, Winterowd explained that PSU “is an excellent example of thinking outside the traditional public financing box.” PSU was able to seek out innovative public and private partnerships to pay for the project. The debt service on $43 million of state authorized bonds will be provided through student recreation funds (providing $35 million) and retail leases on the building’s ground floor (providing another $7 million), according to Winterowd.

The city of Portland also contributed about $10 million to relocate its archives to the new building, providing a more central location for the archives and a resource for faculty and students. The Oregon University System also provided $3 million for the inclusion of space for the chancellor’s office. Through the design-build method, the project also was able to deliver on efficient design and construction that saved on time and added value to the building.

The aesthetically pleasing building is matched with energy-efficient strategies and forward thinking financing decisions, making it a model design for the school, state, and future construction projects.

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OSU Energy Center Awarded LEED Platinum

Photo Credit: Oregon State University.

CORVALLIS, Ore. — Oregon State University’s Energy Center recently received LEED Platinum certification, making it the first Platinum-rated power facility in the nation, and the first Platinum LEED building on campus, according to planners.

The building, which opened in June 2010, includes a white reflective roof, water-efficient landscaping, and the use of recycled building materials. The majority of the project’s construction debris were also recycled, according Larrie Easterly, the university’s engineering manager.

The plant features a rainwater harvesting system to collect water used for boilers and hot water is generated by heat recovery from the steam system. Natural lighting and ventilation and radiant heating contribute to the building’s reduced energy use, which is 52 percent better than the Oregon building code, according to the university.

The energy center, which replaced a nearly 90-year-old heat plant with failing boilers and seismic issues, is a cogeneration facility that combines heating and electricity generation. The new plant, with a maximum generation capacity of 6.5 megawatts, allows OSU to generate about half of its electrical needs on site.

In addition to reducing its carbon footprint by 38 percent compared to the old facility, the new plant is expected to lower the university’s energy costs by $650,000 a year.

“I’ve worked on this project since day one, which is almost eight years ago,” Easterly said. “It’s really nice to see something that a lot of people have worked on finally being completed. It’s not often that facilities staff gets to work on a building made for themselves.”

Students will also be able to use the energy center to mine data and run simulations to learn how energy production works.

Funding for the project came from a combination of bonds, gifts, grants, energy tax credits and university funds. Some of the bond money will be repaid through energy savings, the statement said.

Oh Planning + Design and Jacobs Engineering, both of Portland, collaborated on the center. W&H Pacific worked on civil engineering and landscape architecture; PAE Consulting Engineers worked on mechanical, electrical and plumbing; Green Building Services was hired for LEED documentation and certification; Rider, Levett & Bucknall for cost estimating; and Andersen Construction was the construction manager/general contractor, according to the university.

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Childhood Center Combines Play With Study

VGRESHAM, Ore. — Construction is expected to begin any day now on the Mt. Hood Community College’s Early Childhood Center, a building designed to scale for infants and toddlers in some places, and for observation and academic purposes for collegians and staff in other ares.

Considered the first new construction on the community college’s Gresham campus in 30 years, the center will be operated by and serve as a regional headquarters for Head Start, which is a national child development program run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The building will also provide a new home for the community college’s early childhood education program and space for approximately 60 college students studying the subject.

The $5.4 million, 23,500-square-foot center was designed by Mahlum Architects of Portland and will be constructed by Chicago-based Walsh Construction. The building is expected complete by the summer of 2011.

"The current program is housed in inadequate facilities," says Kurt Haapala, an associate principal with Mahlum Architects. "It’s in buildings that are temporary facilities which weren’t really designed to support children’s needs."

The new center will feature eight classrooms capable of housing 124 children in half-day sessions. Each classroom will contain low windows that children can easily see out of, as well as 30-inch deep walls with room for storage, window seats, and places where children can crawl and play.

"It’s really important at that age that they develop core competencies – fine and gross motor skills for example," Haapala says. "So we tried to create environments that were good quality indoor environments with good lighting and good comfort.

"The outside play area and interior classrooms are all about experiential-based learning – places where children can crawl up and see the world differently," he adds. "In certain areas, we incorporated in light and shadows, hot and cold, contrasting colors – all of these types of things help small human beings understand the world better. We also designed some of the rooms and equipment to be at their scale, so there are little toilets, little sinks, and little spaces to crawl up on, like balcony windows."

Outdoor play areas, including a "farm" with garden area, will be constructed of soft surfaces. Large windows will provide views into and out of exterior play zones for children. The building will also house a kitchen, where meals for 13 Head Start programs in the Gresham area will be prepared. Children will be able to see into the kitchen and watch staff cook and prepare meals.

"Some kids are passive learners," Haapala explains. "That is to say, if there is an activity going on that they don’t want to participate in and they are off in the distance observing, they are actually participating, just in a different way. So we’ve created these little nooks that actually look out into corridors so kids can crawl in and feel comfortable and safe in the environment and observe teachers working with other children, or teachers working with college students."

The Early Childhood Center was designed with as much an emphasis on observing as it was on playing and learning. College students can view into the windows of the same nooks and crannies their subjects are exploring. Mahlum Architects has also proposed a camera and audio system for the facility, allowing students and faculty to watch children interact from the building’s collegiate classrooms.

"College students will be able to actually use the technology to zoom in and display images of the children on screens in the adult classrooms," says Haapala.

The center will include a family welcome room with fireplace and sofas. The building is expected to earn LEED Silver certification and feature a variety of green elements, including a rooftop solar array, heavily insulated walls, clerestory lighting, and radiant heating in the floors.

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Projects Begin at Ore. College

KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. — Klamath Community College started construction of three buildings with an estimated total project cost of $11 million. The expansion will double the size of Klamath Community College, which opened its doors in 1996 and currently enrolls 1,237 full and part-time students.

The first building, a 16,000-square-foot career technology center, is scheduled for completion by fall 2010, and will house faculty offices, study areas, three classrooms and labs, and will be used for training in construction management, automotive and diesel repair and hydraulics.

The other two structures, a health sciences building and a Klamath County Library branch, will be completed by winter 2011. The two-story, 29,000-square-foot health sciences building will have six classrooms, two computer labs, a nursing simulation lab, two nursing classrooms and student activity space. The 3,500-square-foot library will be part of the county library system and provide space for 10,000 volumes.

Each of the buildings will be constructed with glue-laminated beams, wood panels and concrete blocks. The east-west axis of the structures will maximize daylighting and reduce heat gain. Large overhangs will be installed on the southern sides to mitigate solar glare. Plans also call for installation of efficient heat recovery systems, lighting systems with automatic dimmers, and reflective sloped metal roofs. The buildings will be equipped with solar panels, in keeping with Oregon state law that mandates all new public buildings allocate 1.5 percent of the construction budget to solar technology.

The structures are situated on six acres of former farmland. A pedestrian connection to the existing campus will be created to maximize the amount of space available for future development.

Mahlum Architects of Portland is the designer for the projects; Adroit Construction Company of Ashland, Ore., is the builder.

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Going Gold in Oregon

HILLSBORO, Ore. – The 600-student K-6 Rosedale Elementary School achieved LEED Gold certification in March, making it the first LEED-certified school in the Hillsboro School District.

The $15.9 million school was completed last fall and uses the latest in energy efficient features to save 30 to 50 percent of energy per year compared with an equivalent-sized school building without efficiency enhancements. The two-story, 74,100-square-foot facility saves the district close to $28,000 per a year in energy costs.

Throughout the design and construction process, administrators and teachers integrated the school’s sustainable features into lesson plans for each grade level. Additionally, indoor and outdoor signs provide information on the school’s environmental design.

“Throughout the campus, you will see examples of construction, design and functional elements that aim to protect and preserve natural surroundings while immersing students in a living classroom, which adds relevance and meaning to their learning experience,” says Mike Scott, superintendent of the Hillsboro School District. “We are proud of Rosedale and its ability to both demonstrate our environmental commitment and showcase innovative best practices in sustainability.”

School officials and architects placed a strong emphasis on using local and recycled building materials in the design and construction of the school. During the building process, 91 percent of the waste generated during construction was recycled and 32 percent of materials were locally sourced, including concrete, brick, tile, stone, pavers and drywall.

Trees harvested on-site were milled and manufactured into indoor and outdoor benches and storm-water retention weirs. Of the wood used in construction, 84 percent of it was harvested from foresters that employ environmentally responsible management practices. Two such wood products include the gymnasium floor and the ceiling lattice used in the commons area.

Efficient irrigation and water systems help Rosedale Elementary use about 30 percent less water than a typical school. A 25,000-gallon underground cistern at the school captures rainwater from the roof, reducing run-off to nearby streams. The cistern is expected to provide approximately 300,000 gallons of reusable rainwater each year, accounting for 34 percent of the total water used for irrigating the school’s grounds.

Landscaping includes native regional plants and a drought-tolerant hybrid fescue grass seed blend on the school’s playing fields, resulting in 50 percent water reduction when compared to conventional landscapes. Additionally, Rosedale Elementary features a radiant heating system and high-performance windows designed to take advantage of natural day lighting.

Mahlum Architects, with offices in Seattle and Portland, provided architectural services for the project while Robinson Construction Co., headquartered in Hillsboro, Ore., provided construction services.

Mahlum Architects

Robinson Construction Co.

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CEFPI, AIA Chapter Recognize Oregon Projects

The Rosa Parks school in Portland, Ore., and two schools in Springfield recently received awards.

WASHINGTON — A campus designed to improve a low-income area in Portland, Ore., was the recipient of one of the top honors awarded by the Council of Educational Facility Planners International.

The 2009 James D. MacConnell Award was presented to the Rosa ParksSchool and the Community Campus at New Columbia during the CEFPI World Conference and Expo.

The award is presented each year to a project that demonstrates a comprehensive planning process, development of a wide range of educational specifications and a design that meets the requirements of the educational program, according to the CEFPI.

The Rosa Parks School and the Community Campus of New Columbia was created after officials decided to rebuild the dilapidated Columbia Villa housing project as a mixed-use, mixed income neighborhood.

The resulting community, now called New Columbia, is anchored by the Community Campus — the site of the K-6th grade Rosa Parks school — and a Boys & Girls Club and a community center.

The LEED-Gold certified campus is one of only two new schools built by the Portland Public school system in 30 years, according to reports. The school was built on 1.8 acres and about 90 percent of students walk or bike to school. Photovoltaic electrical panels, displacement ventilation, storm-water management and natural light were applied to achieve LEED Gold certification. “Rosa Parks School and Community Campus is to be congratulated for its intensive collaboration and community planning that resulted in an exemplary model for building future community partnerships, outstanding learning environments and strong neighborhoods in Portland Public School district,” says Judy Hoskens, CEFPI president. “It truly is a sustainable learning laboratory, including photovoltaics, 100 percent storm-water retention and a community garden.”

In other news, two Springfield, Ore., schools designed by Northwest-based architectural firmMahlum, in association with Robertson Sherwood Architects of Eugene, Ore., were honored by the Southwestern and Southern Oregon chapters of the American Institute of Architects.

The AIA chapter recognized the design of Thurston Elementary and Maple Elementary schools with the 2009 AIA Certificate of Honor award for elegant refined wood detailing in public spaces and large-scale exposed tilt-up concrete panels in classroom wings.

The campuses also integrate sustainable design features, including wood-framed glass walls that allow for daylight and views of nature. Both schools were designed to meet the equivalent of LEED Silver certification with passive solar heat, displacement ventilation, bioswales and landscaping

to control storm water runoff.

The schools were built for Springfield Public Schools and were funded by a November 2006 bond measure.

Construction of both projects started in May 2008 and was completed in September 2009.

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