This content was published: October 27, 2004. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
PCC-Sylvania unveils Technology Classroom Building
Photos and story by James Hill
SYLVANIA CAMPUS – Portland Community College will officially open a brilliantly designed "green" building, which includes an indoor garden courtyard that is passively cooled and heated by nature, in addition to many other sustainable design elements. Educationally, the new Technology Classroom Building will provide a boost to distance learning, advanced technology and video production programs at the Sylvania Campus. 
The dedication and grand opening celebration of the Sylvania Campus Technology Classroom Building is scheduled for noon to 2 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 10. The event will take place at the facility, located on the southeast side of the campus (12000 S.W. 49th Ave.). A brief dedication ceremony will begin at 12:30 p.m. with featured speaker, State Sen. Ginny Burdick. Also providing remarks are District President Preston Pulliams, PCC board chair Dana Anderson, board member Norma Jean Germond and student body president Danielle Bryant. In addition, a fountain sculpture by Northwest artist Lee Kelly and a stone plate sculpture by artist and PCC faculty member Marie Watt will be dedicated. The Sylvania Jazz Trio will entertain and there will be refreshments. The public is invited.
Sylvania’s $8 million, three-story Technology Classroom Building houses 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 facility incorporates sustainable design features to reduce energy usage and promote a healthy indoor environment. This includes the indoor garden courtyard, or winter garden, a unique space that creates a year-round tempered gathering area. Opsis Architecture designed the facilty while Skanska USA served as the general contractorThe winter garden will be warmed in the winter by sunlight. A portion of the return air 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 diffused 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 campus projects include the $2.37 million renovation of the Health Technology Building and ongoing renovations to the Communication Technology and Science Technology buildings. This will also include 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 84,000 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.For more information on this event, please call 503-977-4591.
About James Hill
James G. Hill, an award-winning journalist and public relations writer, is the Director of Public Relations at Portland Community College. A graduate of Portland State University, James has worked as a section editor for the Newberg Graphic... more »