PCC Newberg Center

What were the circumstances of receiving the commission for this project?

The commission was awarded based on submission of a response to an RFP, selection as part of a short-list, and an interview.

Can you describe your design process for the building?

Prior to developing the design for the building we prepared a campus master plan for the larger undeveloped 15-acre site. The building, with its dramatic roof canopy, was designed to be the front door to the future multi-building campus. Careful attention was paid to building orientation and creating an open, welcoming place in the community.

The building is designed to be a Net Zero Energy Building – meaning it will meet all of its energy needs, over the course of a year, through on-site power generation. We took a common sense approach to the sustainable design solutions, not relying on gimmicks and gadgets, but focused instead on back to the basics solutions commonly used before there was an abundance of cheap energy. Strategies such as natural ventilation, daylighting, and ceiling fans for cooling helped us dramatically reduce the building's energy load.

How does the building compare to other projects in your office, be it the same or other building types?

The Newberg Center design, like many of our other higher education projects, includes common spaces and flexible classrooms that foster collaborative learning. The building expresses its natural ventilation and passive daylighting systems in a very straightforward, honest manner. Interior common spaces employ proportion, pattern and dramatic scale in a simple yet engaging way.

Sustainable design is an integral part of our design process and we focus on building strong, collaborative relationships with our clients. The Newberg Center has allowed us to develop a long-term relationship with a sustainably focused organization like Portland Community College. This collaboration has resulted in educational opportunities including our presence in their classes to talk about sustainable design and the use of the facility for tours and presentations to local colleges and universities, and the larger Portland design community.

How does the building relate to contemporary architectural trends, be it sustainability, technology, etc.?

Achieved on a tight, public budget, the LEED Platinum Newberg Center showcases cost-effective, bioclimatic green strategies to create a highly sustainable educational facility accessible to the broad socio-economic groups PCC serves. Stretched out along the east-west axis, the design maximizes the north and south building exposures. The majority of classroom and office spaces are located on the north side of the building allowing spaces to be daylit with diffuse north light. A deep overhang on the south side of the building protects openings from glare while providing outdoor spaces that can be used even during the wet winters.

Taking advantage of the Pacific Northwest's climate, the building incorporates natural ventilation and passive cooling articulated by the ventilation stacks that organize the circulation spine. Spinning ventilation turbines on each stack draw fresh air through louvers along the building's perimeter and release hot air through their tops.

Are there any new/upcoming projects in your office that this building’s design and construction has influenced?

We are including successful strategies used at the Newberg Center including polished concrete floors with in-floor radiant heating, deleting air conditioning in favor of thermal mass, natural ventilation and large ceiling fans in the Cascades Academy independent school in the high desert of Central Oregon. Additionally, our office is working on the design for renovation of a 176,000 square foot historic classroom building at Oregon State University and a new College of Business at Montana State University. With dramatically different climates, the design teams for these buildings are looking specifically at “place” to understand the simple, bioclimatic design responses that will result in the most cost-effective sustainable design strategies.

Email interview conducted by John Hill.