Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

SRG Partnership Designs Net Zero Energy Building for OSU Cascades Campus

  • By Matt Jones
  • 06/23/21

Architecture firm SRG Partnership recently announced that it has designed a Net Zero energy building for the Cascades Campus of Oregon State University in Bend, Ore. Edward J. Ray Hall will serve as a Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) learning center featuring both interior and exterior active learning spaces. The facility has a Net Zero energy target and a structure made of regionally sourced mass timber.

The 50,000-square-foot, four-story building will be the first to take advantage of a 46-acre site that the university acquired for campus expansion. The site contains a reclaimed pumice mine, and a press release notes that Edward J. Ray Hall will stand at the top of the mine’s steep eastern rim, serving as a gateway between the existing campus and future developments in and around the former mine’s bowl.

Edward J Ray Hall at Oregon State University Cascades Campus

The use of mass timber ties into the university’s commitment to sustainability, using locally sourced renewable materials and leaving a low carbon footprint. The building’s east-west orientation, along with large windows and vertical shading devices, allows it to take advantage of the sun’s position to maximize daylight while reducing glare and summer heat. The roof will feature an array of photovoltaics as a source of on-site renewable solar energy for the building.

The design and prototype process focused on accommodating as wide a variety of education activities as possible to encourage interdisciplinary collaboration, social equity, and sustainability. Edward J. Ray Hall serves as a scalable, adaptable proof of concept that will serve as a template for future buildings while leaving plenty of room for adaptation unique to these future buildings’ purpose, location, and conditions.

The total cost of the new facility is estimated at $49 million, and it is scheduled to open in fall 2021. Various donors contributed a total of $10 million to match funds provided by the state.

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • UTampa Breaks Ground on STEM Academic Facility

    The University of Tampa in Tampa, Fla., recently broke ground on one of its largest academic facilities ever, according to a news release. The Dickey Science Innovation Center will measure 153,000 square feet and has a scheduled completion date of fall 2028.

  • Agricultural Sciences Complex

    Agricultural Sciences Complex

    Established in 1999, the Education Design Showcase is a vehicle for showing off innovative — yet practical — solutions in planning, design, architecture, and construction. The College of Western Idaho's Agricultural Sciences Complex has been recognized with an EDS 2026 Grand Prize award in the category of New Construction.

  • Can AI Help Build Stronger Communities in Student Housing?

    Student housing success is shifting from operational performance to student experience, with belonging now at the center. A recent 2025 report underscores a growing emphasis on student well-being, community, and engagement, signaling that expectations now extend beyond logistics to ensure students feel supported in their living environments. AI is enabling that shift by reducing administrative workload and giving teams more time to focus on meaningful student engagement.

  • CU-Lock Haven Receives $1.75M Gift for New Entrepreneurship, Media Center

    Commonwealth University-Lock Haven in Lock Haven, Penn., recently received a $1.75-million donation from entrepreneur and alumnus Nicholas Subich ’17, according to a university news release. The funds will go toward establishing the Nicholas Subich Center for Entrepreneurship and Media, a technology-driven hub for innovation and experiential learning.