Examples of Sustainable Design
and Development Projects

on theUniversity of Oregon Campus

Prepared by the University Planning Office
http://www.uoregon.edu/~uplan/subjects/Sustainability/SDPFull.pdf

In progress- February 2004

The University of Oregon has had a long-standing commitment to environmental responsibility. For example, reducing energy use on campus has been a primary focus for decades. Despite substantial construction over the past decade, the overall campus electrical use has not increased due to energy-conservation retrofit projects. All recently completed major projects (over $60 million worth of work) have been awarded the regional Energy Smart award.

The university also has been nationally recognized for its transportation innovation. All construction projects make every effort to encourage alternate modes of transportation. Fewer than 40% of all trips to and from the university are made by automobiles, compared to 74% of trips made in the surrounding community. Incentives include nearby student family housing, free bus passes for faculty, staff, and students, on-campus transit stations, and numerous bicycle amenities. Overall there are more bike parking spaces than car parking spaces on campus.

The university’s commitment to sustainable design expanded with the adoption of the Sustainable Development Plan in 2000. The Sustainable Development Plan requires the application of sustainable design principles to all new development and remodeling projects (to review a copy of the document, visit the University Planning Office web site at http://www.uoregon.edu/~uplan/subjects/Sustainability/SDPFull.pdf. It strengthens sustainable practices and the collaborative design process that began with Christopher Alexander’s The Oregon Experiment (1975).

Below are some examples of projects that have integrated sustainable design features. All of these projects, except for the recently completed East Campus Children’s Center, were designed prior to the adoption of the Sustainable Development Plan. As the Sustainable Development Plan is implemented, many of these sustainable concepts will become embedded into the typical design process.

Autzen Stadium

Working in concert with the State of Oregon’s State Energy Efficient Design program (SEED), the project was modeled to test its of energy consumption. Various energy conservation measures were tested, and all feasible energy savings measures were included. In addition, the existing large laminated beams were reused to the greatest extent possible.

For several years the university has allowed the vegetation on the gravel parking lot at the stadium to grow, providing a method of lessening the amount of dust entering the air and avoiding the need to asphalt the lot. This has also lessened the amount of storm water entering the piped system. After the expansion, the lot will remain gravel.

Runoff from new, asphalted parking areas (most required for disabled parking) will be retained on site. Also, almost all of the runoff from the field and the seating areas within the stadium will be retained on site.

Early in the planning of the project, the unique nature of the Patterson Slough was recognized, and it was delineated as a wetland. Setbacks beyond what is required by wetlands protection have been established as a way to preserve and enhance this wildlife habitat.

Recently the City of Eugene granted a request to modify the land use code so that the amount of parking required by the stadium could be reduced. A transportation management plan reducing the use of the single-occupant vehicle for game-day travel by providing attractive alternatives has been in place for the last five years and will be expanded to meet the needs of the expanded stadium.

East Campus Children’s Center

This is the first project that was initiated after the adoption of the Sustainable Development Plan. Therefore, it had to integrate the patterns and concepts as described in the Plan. Sustainability was a prime consideration in the form of the building and in the selection of materials; it is designed for natural ventilation flow, daylighting, and a ground source heat pump. It also has a swale to slow down the entry of storm water into the storm sewer system.

Overall, the project achieves the equivalence of the LEED Rating System requirements.

Photo Voltaic Student Project

A student-led project to install an array of photo voltaic panels on campus is underway. The Ecological Design Center completing the first phase of this project, which focuses primarily on education and the installation of a demonstration panel project at the Erb Memorial Union. Eventually, a photo voltaic system will be installed on a campus roof that will produce 72,577 kWh/yr or a total savings of over $4,000 according to Eugene’s average yearly solar radiation and current energy rates. 

Knight Law Center and Student Recreation Center

Both of these recent projects were awarded the Energy Smart Award due to the integration of energy conservation measures beyond the SEED program requirements (all State-owned buildings must meet stricter energy codes equal to about an additional 20 percent reduction in energy use).

Landscape Measures

All campus grounds are maintained using an Integrated Pest Management Program. In addition, all new landscape projects use a weather based irrigation system to reduce water use and run-off. All yard waste is mulched and used on campus. In addition, biodiesel is now used to fuel the landscape vehicles and equipment.

Plant selection and placement consider many sustainable issues ranging from: wildlife habitat, energy conservation (e.g. shade), and adaptability. The recently adopted Campus Tree Plan emphasizes the important environmental role trees play on campus. The plan includes policies for proper tree planting (e.g., provide adequate root zone space) and strict standards for tree protection during construction.

The use of on-site drainage to reduce and cleanse storm water drainage into the Millrace and the Willamette River is now becoming a standard approach whenever possible. For example, a series of student design-build projects lead by Stan Jones, Landscape Architecture Department, have created bioswales on either side of the Millrace to cleanse and reduce storm water from the adjacent parking lot and Franklin Blvd. Other examples include a small bioswale in the lower courtyard of the renovated McKenzie Hall (old Law Center) that was created to solve drainage concerns in a very cost effective and sustainable manner. In addition an outside patio that was renovated as part of the MRI Expansion Project at Straub Hall uses impervious surfaces and a roof drain into the planting area. Other upcoming projects will increase efforts in this area.

Lillis Business Center

The Lillis Business Center is the university’s most ambitious sustainable project yet. The 145,000 square foot building will use about 45% less energy than state code requires and will incorporate a full spectrum of sustainable measures including:

  • Natural cooling and ventilation through increased thermal mass and the central atrium that acts as a chimney. Air travels under specially designed classroom floors, out into corridors, up through the four-story atrium and out of the building, ensuring a constant exchange of fresh air.
  • Photo voltaic cells with a solar generating capacity of about 6% of the building’s energy use embedded in the atrium’s south window panels (look for the blue cells).
  • Innovative climate settings based on actual comfort versus standard protocols. Classrooms need A/C only about 4 hrs/year, compared to 100s of hours in a conventional building.
  • Rooms with day lighting so that most are lit without electric lighting throughout the year.
  • Occupancy sensors on lights and on certain outlets.
  • A demo green roof to absorb rainwater, thus reducing runoff.
  • A comprehensive demolition waste recycling program (97% of all demo materials were recycled).

Moshofsky Center

This large indoor practice facility developed an innovative daylighting system (skylights and clerestory windows) coupled with a dimmable electric lighting system that can sense when the sun is providing enough light and reduce the electric light.

Organic Chemistry Lab Remodels

Labs consume a large amount of energy representing an opportunity to implement energy saving measures, yet they have strict safety standards that must be met that can make this difficult. Through the use of innovative measures, the amount of air required for the ventilation systems in the Onyx Bridge Organic Chemistry Research Labs was reduced resulting in substantial energy savings. More recently, the new Green Chemistry Lab was designed to allow waste air to be reused in the ventilation system without jeopardizing strict environmental and safety regulations. More information about UO green chemistry program is available at: http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~hutchlab/greenchem

Remodels:

Retrofitting light fixtures, controls (e.g. occupancy sensors) and HVAC systems (e.g. energy efficient equipment and carefully zoned systems) in buildings throughout campus has been a common goal for decades. Such efforts were part of the substantial remodel of Mackenzie Hall (old Law Center). Simple solutions to cool buildings, such a reducing the lighting output, enhancing ventilation, and installing exterior awnings, are always the first choice. As a result of these efforts, electrical use on campus has remained virtually the same over the past ten years despite substantial increases in building square footage (over 800,00 gsf since 1990) and student population (3,000 since 1990).

Most recently, a solar water heating system was installed on Gerlinger Annex to heat the water supply for the locker rooms and bathrooms. This eliminates the need to bring steam through the building in the summer months, which had the adverse effect of warming the entire building. The cost savings generated from not having to cool the building (air conditioning) will pay for the project in two years, with benefits continuing to accrue for 20 or 30 additional years.

In addition low-VOC paint is always used in remodel projects. New environmentally friendly products are always being researched. For example, recycled-content carpeting was installed in the PLC renovation project.

Transportation:

The university is nationally recognized for its transportation innovation. Fewer than 40% of all trips to and from the university are made by automobiles, compared to 74% in the surrounding community. Incentives include nearby student family housing, free bus passes for faculty, staff, and students, on-campus transit stations, and numerous bicycle amenities. Overall there are more bike parking spaces than car parking spaces on campus.

_____________________________________________________________________________

For more information, contact:

Christine Taylor Thompson e-mail: cthomps@uoregon.edu

University Planning Office web site: http://www.uoregon.edu/~uplan/subjects/Sustainability/SDPFull.pdf

1276 University of Oregon

Eugene OR 97403 (541) 346-5572, Fax: (541) 346-6197



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