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
| Sep 13, 2013
Loews Hotels & Resorts announces major cross-portfolio upgrades
Loews Hotels & Resorts is currently in the midst of a major growth and property redesign initiative, reflecting a strong national trend in hospitality renovation.
| Sep 13, 2013
Video: Arup offers tour of world's first algae-powered building
Dubbed BIQ house, the building features a bright green façade consisting of hollow glass panels filled with algae and water.
| Sep 11, 2013
Inaugural BUILDINGChicago/Greening the Heartland Expo & Conference draws attendees from 27 states
More than 500 attendees from 27 states attended the inaugural BUILDINGChicago/Greening the Heartland Conference, held September 9-11, at the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza.
| Sep 10, 2013
The new medical office building: 7 things to know about today’s outpatient clinic
Regulatory pressures, economic constraints, and emerging technologies are transforming healthcare. Learn how Building Teams are responding with efficient, appealing, boundary-blurring outpatient buildings.
| Sep 6, 2013
Public Architecture's Day Labor Station: Just the type of 'great idea' we're looking for in the $5,000 Vision U40 competition
Thinking about competing in BD+C's Vision U40 program at next month's U40 Leadership Summit? Here's a good example of the kind of "great idea" we're looking for.
| Sep 6, 2013
U40 Summit featured speaker: Arthur Gensler on how to build a world-class AEC practice
Gensler, founder of the world’s largest architecture firm, will talk about the role of the architect in society, the impact of great design, and the practicalities of starting and running a practice, and will offer advice for today’s young design and construction professionals.
| Sep 4, 2013
Augmented reality: 12 applications for design and construction professionals
Building Design+Construction reached out to AEC professionals who have studied and applied augmented reality and asked them to pinpoint applications that are ripe for the technology. Here’s what they had to offer.
| Sep 4, 2013
Augmented reality goes mainstream: 12 applications for design and construction firms
Thanks to inexpensive mobile devices and increasingly advanced software apps, Building Teams are finally able to bring their BIM models to life on the job site.
| Sep 4, 2013
K-12 school design that pays off for students
More and more educators are being influenced by the Reggio Emilia approach to pedagogy, with its mantra of “environment as the third teacher”—an approach that gives Building Teams a responsibility to pay even closer attention to the special needs of today’s schools.
| Sep 4, 2013
Smart building technology: Talking results at the BUILDINGChicago/ Greening the Heartland show
Recent advancements in technology are allowing owners to connect with facilities as never before, leveraging existing automation systems to achieve cost-effective energy improvements. This BUILDINGChicago presentation will feature Procter & Gamble’s smart building management program.
