High Tech Alumni Center Keeps Oregon Green
EUGENE, Ore. — The University of Oregon in Eugene recently received LEED Gold certification for its new Cheryl Ramberg Ford & Allyn Ford Alumni Center. The striking structure, completed in the spring of 2011, serves as the new eastern gateway to the campus. The new building provides a home for the university’s alumni association and office of development, along with the University of Oregon Foundation. It joins with the Jaqua Academic Center and the Matthew Knight Arena to form the campus’s new doorstep.
Local Portland, Ore., firm TVA Architects designed the 60,000-square-foot metal and glass structure, which uses external and internal light sources to create a stunning visual experience for those passing by or walking inside. The structure harvests a massive amount of natural light and uses daylighting controls to maximize energy efficiency. The artificial lighting systems are equally impressive, with artistic fixtures, like fiber optic orbs in the atrium and greatroom chandeliers patterned after the iconic University of Oregon “O,” which is featured as the centerpiece of the athletic program’s basketball and football facilities. TVA also designed the previously mentioned Matthew Knight Arena, giving a coherent feel to the campus’ main entry point.
Opsis Architecture, also based in Portland, served as the lead architectural firm on the project and designed the interior. The four-story building features a staggering full-height atrium and a grand staircase with connecting walkways for each floor. The atrium doubles as an impressive visual design and a highly functional architectural feature. The epic space separates the office spaces on the west side of the building from the conference and breakout rooms on the eastern end and is also capable of moving a massive amount of air, 250,000 cubic feet per minute, to draw smoke out of the occupied areas during a fire. It also serves as the primary pathway for return air during standard day-to-day operation.
Hot water for the facility is provided by solar arrays and automatic solar shading on the east side of the structure combines with fixed shades on the south and west planes to lower the impact of sunlight on the building’s thermal envelope. Interactive media features, including an energy dashboard that give real-time energy-use information, were designed by Second Story Interactive Studio, another Portland company.
Fortis Construction, yet another local Portland firm, served as the general contractor on the $33.6 million project. The facility serves as a living historical archive for the university, with nine interactive Oregon Cascades, which are floor-to-ceiling media centers with multiple screens displaying stories of student life, historical data and archival footage. This feature was also designed by Second Story. Visitors can either watch the information that happens to appear on these digital pillars or use the interactive Alumni Table, which allows them to retrieve specific information about over 210,000 University of Oregon alumni.