"New Jesuit H.S. building will keep cool, go for LEED gold"

http://www.sustainablebusinessoregon.com -
June 8, 2010

Jesuit High School will break ground this week on a new math and science building that will apply for a gold designation from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program.

The two-story, 17,821 square-foot "Elorriaga Center for Science and Mathematics" should be ready for students by spring 2011, according to the principal architect on the project, Henry Fitzgibbon of Soderstrom Architects in Portland. The building is a $5 million project and is being constructed by Skanska USA.

One of the most striking features of the building is that it won't have air conditioning. A thick slab of concrete on the roof will keep the building cool and windows will keep it airy. Overhangs on the first floor, along with light shelves, will filter sunlight and keep rooms from getting too warm.

At night, the building will be flushed by a specialized ventilation system that pushes air along the floor and ceiling to remove the warm air generated by students and cool it in advance of the next day's classes.

"Essentially the building lives diurnally," Fitzgibbon said, "cooling itself in preparation for the next day."

The building will also use a low-power boiler system, a wind turbine, and will recycle 90 percent of the materials in the one-story building currently on the site. The building will feature a flat-screen panel demonstrating its energy efficiencies.

Original article: http://www.sustainablebusinessoregon.com