News Releases
News from the Lane Community College Foundation
For release Wednesday, June 08, 2011
Health and Wellness Center takes prize in architecture contest
With a design that encourages users to consider their role as energy consumers, the $15.8 million center is praised for putting sustainability at the forefront
EUGENE, OR – The Daily Journal of Commerce, a Portland, Ore.-based building and construction publication, announced last week that Lane Community College's new Health and Wellness Center won first place in the Public Buildings category of its 2011 TopProjects contest for the state of Oregon.
The new center, designed by SRG Partnership Inc. and its consultants in collaboration with the Northwest Energy Efficiency Alliance (NEEA), is lauded in the article for literally reflecting the college's ideals of sustainability in its design. The center houses Lane's health care education program and has a symbolic and functional "lung" running along the east-west length of the building. The lung, essentially an open cavity divided into sections for sound insulation, functions as a sort of chimney that draws fresh air in from the outside and releases older air from inside the building. It symbolizes sustainability and energy efficiency and reflects the college's efforts to meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards.
"The marriage of sustaina ble design and health education led us to the design," said Jon Wiener, project manager and design principal at SRG Partnership Inc. "It was a challenge to take a site on the edge of campus and weave it into the fabric of the community, but we enhanced that corner of campus."
Each classroom in the new center opens into the main corridor, boosting the efficiency of the heating and cooling system. The space also serves as a giant light well, filling classrooms with natural sunlight and reducing the need for artificial lighting.
Some of the building's other design features include exterior shading elements, the strategic addition of concrete to floors and ceilings and the use of ceiling fans. Special attention was also paid to the building's orientation to allow for passive ventilation strategies and passive solar heating. The center is expected to achieve LEED gold certification and demonstrates the achievement of the college's goal of limiting the building's impact on its natural surroundings.
Construction of the center, which began in June 2009, was completed one month early and under budget. The new 41,700-square-foot center opened in September 2010.
About the LCC Foundation—
The Lane Community College Foundation provides an opportunity to achieve personal goals for aspiring students who have overcome obstacles in their lives. Each scholarship recipient has a unique story and a personal hope for the future. The Lane Community College Foundation transforms lives by providing these students with the opportunity to learn, grow and contribute to their community. For more information visit 2011sitearchive.lanecc.edu/foundation.
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Public information officer: Joan Aschim, (541) 463-5591, aschimj@lanecc.edu
Media Contact: Janet Anderson, (541) 463-5803 or andersonj@lanecc.edu
