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 | Jun 30, 2015
San Diego charter school finds home in existing public library building
The school is located on the sixth and seventh floors of a downtown public library and embraces flexible school days, internship opportunities, and project-based learning.
Codes and Standards | Jun 18, 2015
New document addresses school safety and security
In an effort to balance security and fire safety features within codes, standards and planning, NFPA hosted a two-day workshop, “School Safety, Codes and Security”, last December. The findings are now available in an NFPA report.
K-12 Schools | May 12, 2015
Bjarke Ingels completes Danish high school sports and arts expansion
By placing parts of the new building beneath the football fields, the students are able to walk through the sunken sports hall at the center of the school´s courtyard to the classrooms, cafeteria, and out to the main entrance at street level.
Sponsored | | May 11, 2015
Fire-rated glass separation helps merge new and old pools into a single connected aquatics center
Clear fire-rated glazing helps create a light-filled, safe space for student athletes and spectators in Niles, Illinois.
K-12 Schools | Apr 28, 2015
How to create an environment where students want to succeed
According to a 2014 Gallup poll, our school system not only kills children’s creativity, but also takes its toll on their motivation, writes Perkins+Will's Tinka Rogic.
K-12 Schools | Mar 22, 2015
Budget woes may lead to moratorium on school projects in Alaska
The bill would suspend 70% cost reimbursement from state to localities.
K-12 Schools | Mar 18, 2015
The new Vo-Tech: Transforming vocational workshops into 21st century learning labs
It’s no secret: the way students learn today is different. But facilities are adapting to the increasing demands of technology, collaborative learning, and project-based instruction.
Retail Centers | Mar 10, 2015
Retrofit projects give dying malls new purpose
Approximately one-third of the country’s 1,200 enclosed malls are dead or dying. The good news is that a sizable portion of that building stock is being repurposed.
K-12 Schools | Mar 2, 2015
BD+C special report: What it takes to build 21st-century schools
How the latest design, construction, and teaching concepts are being implemented in the next generation of America’s schools.
Codes and Standards | Mar 2, 2015
Nevada moves to suspend prevailing wage rules on school projects
The Nevada Senate approved a bill that would suspend prevailing wage rules on school projects.
