THE DESIGN DERIVES FROM THE FLOW OF THE SITE, THE BENDING OF THE ZOO PATH AND THE FLOW OF RAIN WATER. LIKE A BIRD MAKING ITS NEST, ELEMENTS OF NATURE ARE WOVEN TOGETHER TO SUPPORT LIFE Inspiring visitors to engage in sustainable actions is the mission of the design and exhibits at the Oregon Zoo’s Education Center. The center—the fifth project funded by the zoo bond—provides a home base for thousands of children who participate in camps and classes annually and serves as a regional hub, expanding the zoo's youth programs through collaborations with U.S. Fish and Wildlife and other partners. The center includes classrooms, meeting spaces, gardens, and a Nature Exploration Station (NESt), inspiring visitors to get outside, learn about nature, and take action on behalf of nature. Illustrating that “Small Things Matter,” the zoo provides its 1.7 million annual visitors with interactive exhibits that demonstrate how actions can help maintain a healthy planet. The center creates dialogue between the built and natural environment, with each interior space offering a corresponding visible and connected outdoor space

1. Oregon Zoo
Oregon Zoo
Education
Education
Center
Center
A SUSTAINABLE ZOO
A SUSTAINABLE ZOO
SLIDES BY: HUSSEIN AZHER
SLIDES BY: HUSSEIN AZHER
AL-NAHRAIN UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF
ARCHITECTURE
ENGINEERING
2019-2020
SUPERVISOR: Dr. KHALID

2. Architect: Opsis Architecture
Owner: Metro
Location: Portland, Oregon, USA
Project site: Previously developed land
Building program type(s): Education –
General
Awards: LEED Platinum certification
with 82 points and Portland AIA’s 2030
COTE award.
OTHER AWARDS:
2017 DJC Top Projects, 3rd Place Public Project.
2017 DJC Top Projects, Public Project People's Choice.
2017 DJC TopProjects, Energy Trust of Oregon High-
Performance Building Awards, New Construction Winner.
2018 AIA 2030 Challenge Award.
2019 AIA COTE Top Ten Award.

3. Project attributes
Project attributes
Year of design completion: 2016
Year of substantial project completion: 2017
Gross conditioned floor area: 19,000 sq ft
Gross unconditioned floor area: 0 sq ft
Number of stories: 1
Project Climate Zone: ASHRAE 4C
Annual hours of operation: 2920
Site area: 83,000 sq ft (7700 sq m)
Project site context/setting: suburban
Cost of construction, excluding furnishing:
$18,700,000
Number of residents, occupants, visitors: 1,600,000
Project Team
Project Team
Engineer - Civil: KPFF Consulting Engineers
Engineer - MEP: PAE Engineers
Engineer - Structural: Catena Consulting Engineers
General Contractor: Fortis Construction
Interpretive Consultant: Jones and Jones
Landscape Architect: Jones and Jones

4. THE SITE
THE SITE

5. CONCEPT
THE DESIGN DERIVES FROM THE FLOW OF THE SITE, THE
BENDING OF THE ZOO PATH AND THE FLOW OF RAIN
WATER. LIKE A BIRD MAKING ITS NEST, ELEMENTS OF
NATURE ARE WOVEN TOGETHER TO SUPPORT LIFE.

6. INTEGRATION
INTEGRATION
Inspiring visitors to engage in
Inspiring visitors to engage in sustainable actions
sustainable actions
is the mission of the design and exhibits at the
is the mission of the design and exhibits at the
Oregon Zoo’s Education Center.
Oregon Zoo’s Education Center.
The center—the
The center—the fifth project
fifth project funded by the zoo
funded by the zoo
bond—provides a home base for thousands of
bond—provides a home base for thousands of
children who participate in
children who participate in camps
camps and
and classes
classes
annually and serves as a regional hub, expanding
annually and serves as a regional hub, expanding
the zoo's youth programs through collaborations
the zoo's youth programs through collaborations
with U.S. Fish and Wildlife and other partners.
with U.S. Fish and Wildlife and other partners.
The center includes
The center includes classrooms, meeting spaces,
classrooms, meeting spaces,
gardens, and a Nature Exploration Station
gardens, and a Nature Exploration Station (NESt),
(NESt),
inspiring visitors to get outside, learn about nature,
inspiring visitors to get outside, learn about nature,
and take action on behalf of nature.
and take action on behalf of nature.
Illustrating that “Small Things Matter,” the zoo
Illustrating that “Small Things Matter,” the zoo
provides its 1.7 million annual visitors with
provides its 1.7 million annual visitors with
interactive exhibits that demonstrate how actions
interactive exhibits that demonstrate how actions
can help maintain a healthy planet.
can help maintain a healthy planet.
The center creates dialogue between the built and
The center creates dialogue between the built and
natural environment, with each interior space
natural environment, with each interior space
offering a corresponding visible and
offering a corresponding visible and connected
connected
outdoor space
outdoor space.
.

7. DESIGN ELEMENTS
The wood and steel woven
structure of the NESt is
inspired by the nests of
animals creating shelter and
order in the environment.
Sustainable elements,
including solar panels, native
plants, bird-safe windows,
and rain gardens, are
designed to educate the
public.

8. Elements in the exterior discovery
zones were made from reclaimed
materials. The wildlife garden
shelter and gates are built of wood
salvaged from the
decommissioned Elephant
Museum, pavers were salvaged
from the Elephant Plaza picnic
area, and logs in the nature play
area were salvaged from on-site.
The wood structures and wildlife
habitat in the exterior discovery
zones are made from salvaged
and reclaimed materials.

9. "Across multiple measures this
project was able to maintain high
performing metrics including
being net-zero energy."
-Jury statement

10. WATER
The building and
site are an
ecosystem.
rainwater collected
from the roof and
water from
underground
support the large
restroom that
serves the west side
of the zoo.
750K Litters
Dating back to the 1950s, 2,000
gallons (7500 L) of water have
been pumped into the city’s storm
system daily from a drainage
curtain that runs deep beneath the
site for geological stability. This
groundwater is now diverted to
supplement the collection system,
keeping the cistern full year-round
while reducing the energy used by
the pumps.

11. ENERGY
Eliminating fossil fuels was a prime focus for
climate-friendly design. Taking advantage of the
mild Portland winters, an air-source heat pump
(VRF) provides an efficient source of all-electric
heat, eliminating the need for peak or
supplemental heat sources. During design, local
partnerships created an opportunity to increase
the solar array, and the goal of net-zero energy
was born. However, the buildings, used 365 days
a year, have considerably higher energy demand
than a typical classroom or office. To achieve net
zero, detailed energy modeling was critical to
identify all plug and process loads and their
estimated energy consumption. The insect and
turtle habitats require specialized climate control
that drives up plug and lighting loads, and the
café’s equipment services a high volume of
customers. The team focused on other areas to
reduce energy: radiant heat pump water-heating
and heat recovery ventilation.

12. "With a comprehensive and integrative series of
sustainable tactics the design is very well thought out."
-Jury statement
Based on operating efficiency
relative to first cost, a manual
passive system (green light
indicating favorable conditions
to open windows and shut
down HVAC) in combination
with the air-source heat pump
was chosen for the classrooms
over automatic windows and a
geo-exchange heat pump
system. The passive ventilation
strategy is evident in the single-
loaded classroom wing with
overhead garage doors.

13. Optimizing on-site
renewable energy, relying on
annually replenished water
resources, and using durable
materials are resilient design
principles employed at the
building scale. Natural
ventilation in the classrooms
and NESt areas increase the
level of passive survivability.
The multi-use space and
classrooms are designed
with a high degree of
flexibility.
Percentage of power needs
supportable by onsite power
generation: 100 percent
Carbon emissions saved
through adaptive reuse vs new
construction: 0 percent

14. SOURCES
SOURCES
https://www.aia.org/showcases/6129422-oregon-zoo-education-center
https://www.opsisarch.com/blog/project/oregon-zoo-education-center/#
https://www.oregonzoo.org/visit

15. THANK YOU.