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

  • sapling sprouting from a cracked stone

    Lessons in Resilience: Disaster Recovery in Our Schools

    Facility managers play a pivotal role in how well a school weathers and recovers from a crisis. Whether it's a hurricane, a flood, a tornado, or a man-made event, preparation determines resilience.

  • Preparing for the Next Era of Healthcare Education, Innovation

    Across the country, public universities and community colleges are accelerating investments in healthcare education facilities as part of a broader strategy to address workforce shortages, modernize outdated infrastructure, and expand clinical training capacity. These projects, which are often located at the center of campus health and science districts, are no longer limited to traditional classrooms.

  • Different Starting Points, Same End Goal

    Higher education campuses can enhance student experience by implementing mobile credentials to streamline building access, on-campus payments, and access to other amenities. This enables students to connect to their campuses through the technology they use most: their mobile devices.

  • El Paso District Breaks Ground on New Elementary School

    The Canutillo Independent School District in El Paso, Texas, recently announced that construction has begun on a 119,000-square-foot elementary school, according to a news release. The district partnered with Pfluger Architects, Carl Daniel Architects, and LDCM Solutions on the new Davenport Elementary School, which has an expected completion date of 2027.

Digital Edition