River Grove Elementary School in Lake Oswego, Ore., was designed to be fully electric and resilient to natural disasters such as seismic events, storms, and wildfire. The roughly 78,000-sf school in a Portland suburb will feature a microgrid—a small-scale power grid that can operate independently from the area’s electric grid.
Design of the microgrid system was developed through a collaboration between the school district and the local utility provider. River Grove will be one of the first American schools to be constructed with a microgrid.
The structure is designed to a higher seismic factor as a Category IV building to serve as a resource for the local community in the event of an earthquake or other natural disaster. Portions of the building will continue to function during a prolonged power outage thanks to the large photovoltaic array and battery energy storage system.
The building has a sophisticated heating, cooling, and ventilation system, a critical feature in an area experiencing soaring temperatures during heatwaves in recent years. The region has also been impacted by smoke-filled air from forest fires and ice storms causing power outages for weeks.
River Grove is a replacement of a 1967 elementary school that existed on the same site. The previous 68,846 sf school was fully demolished, and students moved off-site to another school during construction.
The new school will provide classrooms, extended learning areas, an innovation lab, music room, stage, library, administration offices, gymnasium, kitchen, an outdoor covered play area, outdoor learning spaces, and play fields. The building is designed for a capacity of 600. The previous facility had a capacity of 575.
Construction kicked off in June 2022, with completion expected for the school’s opening in Fall 2024.
Owner and/or Developer: Lake Oswego School District
Design Architect: Arcadis
Architect of Record: Arcadis
MEP Engineer: Glumac
Structural Engineer: KPFF
General Contractor: Triplett Wellman
Related Stories
K-12 Schools | Nov 14, 2021
New Blackwater Community School completed for Gila River Indian Community, in Arizona
Construction on the new Blackwater Community School, a two-story structure on the Gila River Indian Community, located southeast of Phoenix, Arizona, was completed on August 31, 2021.
K-12 Schools | Nov 10, 2021
K-12 school design innovation: 'Learning Everywhere' and the mobile classroom
Last September, AIA San Francisco awarded the Professional Category in its 2021 Future Classroom Competition to a five-person team from Culver City, Calif.-based Berliner Architects. The firm was selected for its “Learning Everywhere” idea that features a mobile strategy for education at school, home, on field trips, and in transit. BD+C's John Caulfield discuss that concept with Richard Berliner, AIA, Principal, Berliner Architects.
Cladding and Facade Systems | Oct 26, 2021
14 projects recognized by DOE for high-performance building envelope design
The inaugural class of DOE’s Better Buildings Building Envelope Campaign includes a medical office building that uses hybrid vacuum-insulated glass and a net-zero concrete-and-timber community center.
School Construction | Sep 30, 2021
Renovation of Candeo North Scottsdale completes
SPS+ Architects designed the project, which was built by Adolfson & Peterson.
| Sep 20, 2021
K-12 school design trends for 2021, with Wold's Vaughn Dierks
K-12 school design exert Vaughn Dierks discusses the latest K-12 school design trends and needs.
K-12 Schools | Sep 5, 2021
Philadelphia builds a new school in under 18 months, thanks to a P3 pact between the school district and developer
Gilbane and Stantec were key players in the design and construction of Propel Academy.
Giants 400 | Aug 30, 2021
2021 Giants 400 Report: Ranking the largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S.
The 2021 Giants 400 Report includes more than 130 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
Resiliency | Aug 19, 2021
White paper outlines cost-effective flood protection approaches for building owners
A new white paper from Walter P Moore offers an in-depth review of the flood protection process and proven approaches.
K-12 Schools | Aug 18, 2021
Hastings Architecture completes two new K-12 projects in Nashville
The projects have very different programs but both play critical roles on their respective campuses.
K-12 Schools | Aug 13, 2021
A new P3 guide for K-12 school construction is released
This alternative financing isn’t a silver bullet, but it does provide options to cash-strapped districts.
