• Images courtesy of Lara Swimmer Photography.

  • Images courtesy of Lara Swimmer Photography.

  • Images courtesy of Lara Swimmer Photography.

  • Images courtesy of Lara Swimmer Photography.

Lower School, Oregon Episcopal School

Portland, OR

Project Categories

All-Electric
K-12 education

Business Type

New elementary school

Size

45,000 square feet

PAE provided mechanical and plumbing design for the new construction of the Lower School Building, housing Pre-K through 5th grade. The three-story building houses classrooms, kitchen and dining room, a library, and faculty office space with a focus on sustainable and resilient building systems.

Architect

Hacker

Services

Mechanical engineering

Building performance analysis

Sustainability

Certifications

  • Energy Trust of Oregon (ETO) Path to Net Zero
  • Net Zero Ready
  • Architecture 2030

Special features

  • The new elementary school is passively heated and cooled and has an enhanced envelope, which was cost neutral to the project
  • Large windows offer an abundance of natural light, ventilation, foster a sense of connection to the outdoors, and add a learning component through operability
  • Designers created a system of green lights that alert students and teachers as to when temperatures outdoors are favorable to open the windows
  • Energy Use Intensity of 22 compared to typical school Energy Use Intensity of 48.5
  • Energy savings of 55% from code while staying cost neutral to a code building
  • Dedicated Outside Air System (DOAS) with heat recovery