Green building in the works for OSU campus

In May, Oregon State University's campus will have a new construction site. A new five-story building — a combination residence hall and education center — is slated to house 350 international students when it opens in September 2011.

The 148,000-square-foot structure will feature classrooms, offices for faculty and support services, a classroom auditorium with about 110 seats, and retail space for a coffee shop and a market that will include fresh fruit and produce.

The new facility, which will be located at 17th Street and Western Boulevard on the south end of campus.

“As the university’s overall enrollment has grown, so has our need for on-campus housing and classroom space,” said Dan Larson, associate director of OSU's university housing and dining, in a statement. “Our international enrollment in particular is growing.”

The new building will make use of heat-recovery ventilation, high-efficiency heating, rainwater reclamation, and other sustainable features designed to exceed the state’s energy conservation guidelines by as much as 60 percent. The center is on target to earn a LEED gold rating under the U.S. Green Building Council’s “Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design” system. Two small houses, located on the site, will be deconstructed and the materials salvaged will be reused or recycled.

The Portland architecture firm, Mahlum, designed the new center. Fortis Construction, also of Portland, is the general contractor.