Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

Sylvania's Technology Classroom Building takes shape

Photos and story by James Hill

SYLVANIA CAMPUS – Construction has reached the 65 percent mark at Portland Community College’s Sylvania’s $8 million Technology Classroom Building, with progress well underway toward the scheduled grand opening in the fall of 2004. The building will house the district center for the Distance Education program, computer labs for the computer applications systems, computer software engineering and computer information systems technology programs, recording studios and media production facilities, 11 general-purpose classrooms and faculty offices. The new 46,000 square-foot Technology Classroom Building, designed by Opsis Architecture, incorporates sustainable design features to reduce energy usage and promote a healthy indoor environment. Skanska USA is the general contractor.Contractors recently installed the roofing and glazing system over the internal winter garden area, a unique space that will create a year-round tempered gathering area. The space will feature a fountain sculpture designed by renowned Northwest artist Lee Kelly. The winter garden will be warmed in the winter by sunlight. A portion of the return air ordinarily exhausted to the exterior from the conditioned classrooms at the perimeter will be harnessed to provide the space with partially conditioned air without consuming additional energy. Passive ventilation and carefully oriented glazing keeps summer temperatures within a few degrees of ambient. The computer technology and networking labs face north to take advantage of diffuse daylight. South-facing offices and classrooms use sunshades and light shelves to bring daylight deep into the room while framing views beyond.Voters approved a $144 million bond measure for PCC in November of 2000, with $42 million committed to PCC’s Sylvania Campus. Additional Opsis-designed projects on the Sylvania Campus include the $2.37 million renovation of the Health Technology Building and ongoing renovations to the Communication Technology and Science Technology buildings. Emerick Construction is the contractor for these projects.Opsis will also be providing design services for the $4 million College Services Building, scheduled to begin construction in summer 2005. Portland Community College is the largest post-secondary educational institution in Oregon, enrolling approximately 100,000 full- and part-time students annually, and operating three comprehensive campuses along with five workforce training and education centers, a small business development center and education outlets in hundreds of community and business locations.Opsis Architecture, founded in 1999, has a current staff of 35 professionals working on recreation, civic, higher education and cultural arts facilities in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Wyoming and Arizona. Sylvania’s Technology Building Classroom Project DataProject: Technology Classroom Building Portland Community College, Sylvania CampusBudget: $8 million Size: 46,000 sf, three-story Construction Start: July 2003Target Occupancy: September 2004Client Contact: Steve Sivage, PCC Physical Plant Director Grant Bennett, PCC Sylvania Bond Construction ManagerProject Team: Architect: Opsis Architecture James Meyer Jason Miller Randall Heeb Nancy Hiss Alec HolserGeneral Contractor: Skanska USAStructural Engineer: Group MackenzieCivil Engineer: Group MackenzieElectrical Engineer: James D. Graham & AssociatesMechanical Engineer: CBG Consulting EngineersLandscape Architecture: Murase AssociatesLighting Design: Interface EngineeringDistance Education Equipment Consultant: BRC AcousticsRoofing Consultant: Schaber and AssociatesElevator Consultant: Elevator Consulting ServicesAcoustical Engineer: Altermatt AssociatesCost Estimating: Architectural Cost ConsultantsEnergy Modeling: Ecotope