For the past three decades, the Energy Studies in Buildings Laboratory (ESBL) at the University of Oregon has been focusing on how to reduce a building’s energy load while bringing more light into the interior.
This past April, ESBL and local architecture firm SRG Partnership took another step toward that goal with the opening of a new library at Portland Community College. The 40,000-sf library is equipped with four “cones of light,” spherical reflectors made from extruded aluminum that distribute daylight from the library’s third floor to illuminate the second.
Kent Duffy, an SRG Principal, says that the cones, which spread from five feet in diameter at the top to nine feet at the bottom, were preferable to a daylight shaft from the roof, which would have obstructed the third floor.
GZ (Charlie) Brown, ESBL’s Director and Professor of Architecture at the college, says the library is cooled by a passive energy system that obviates the need for air-conditioning. The windows on the second floor are left open at night to cool the building’s mass. During the day, the windows are closed to allow the building mass to cool the interior. The cones help circulate the cool air.
Duffy and Brown say it took some doing to get the college to sign on to the cones of light, which were only included midway through construction. “Everyone is reluctant to be the first to try something new,” says Brown.
Also on the library Building Team: PAE (mechanical engineer), Catena (SE), Keylight + Shallow (lighting), O’Neill/Walsh Community Builders (CM), and Inline Commercial Construction (GC).
Read about more innovations from BD+C's 2014 Great Solutions Report.
Related Stories
| Nov 14, 2014
Bjarke Ingels unveils master plan for Smithsonian's south mall campus
The centerpiece of the proposed plan is the revitalization of the iconic Smithsonian castle.
| Nov 14, 2014
Haskell acquires FreemanWhite, strengthens healthcare design-build business
The combination expands Haskell’s geographic presence by adding FreemanWhite’s offices in Chicago, Charlotte, Nashville, and San Diego. FreemanWhite will retain its name and brand.
| Nov 14, 2014
What college students want in their living spaces
In a recent workshop with 62 college students, architects from Little explored the changing habits and preferences of today's students, and how those changes affect their living spaces.
| Nov 14, 2014
JetBlue opens Gensler-designed International Concourse at JFK
The 175,000-sf extension includes the conversion of three existing gates to international swing gates, and the addition of three new international swing gates.
Sponsored | | Nov 12, 2014
Eye-popping façade highlights renovation, addition at Chaffin Junior High School
The new distinctive main entrance accentuates the public face of the school with an aluminum tube “baguette” system.
| Nov 12, 2014
Collaboration as competitive advantage
A collaborative planning and design process may seem like a common-sense goal, but the concept can be a challenge to achieve in the fragmented AEC industry. SPONSORED BLOG
Sponsored | | Nov 12, 2014
Williams Scotsman plugs into the jobsite
Many of our customers conduct important business from their temporary modular jobsite office and most require access to technology to get their job done effectively and efficiently. SPONSORED CONTENT
| Nov 12, 2014
Chesapeake Bay Foundation completes uber-green Brock Environmental Center, targets Living Building certification
More than a decade after opening its groundbreaking Philip Merrill Environmental Center, the group is back at it with a structure designed to be net-zero water, net-zero energy, and net-zero waste.
| Nov 12, 2014
Refocusing the shifted line
A recent trend in the practice of architecture that I’ve been noticing is the blurring of responsibility between design and construction coordination. I’m not sure why this trend began, but the subject is worth exploring, writes FXFOWLE's Mark Nusbaum.
| Nov 12, 2014
Designs by three finalists for new Beethoven concert hall unveiled
David Chipperfield and Valentiny are among the finalists for a new concert hall being built to commemorate Beethoven’s 250th birthday in his hometown of Bonn, Germany.
