Bright, open, modern and colorful, this new Library signifies PCC’s ongoing transformation into a comprehensive, full-service campus. Fronting SE 82nd Avenue and SE Division Street, the Library frames a new entry and campus plaza that welcome students and the larger community.

Completed in September 2014, the PCC SE Campus Library and Student Commons is a three-story, 40,000 SF library and resource center for the college and community. The new building’s interior features vivid colors and world maps to honor the campus and community’s multicultural demographics and to energize the common spaces for creativity.

Integrated passive strategies emphasize daylight harvesting using “cones of light” which were developed by SRG Partnership in collaboration with the Energy Studies in Buildings Laboratory (ESBL) at the University of Oregon. The cones of light use a custom fabricated reflectors that hang below the skylight to distribute daylight evenly and prevent glare and shadows within the building. They also provide natural light to an internal area of the 2nd floor that didn’t have much opportunity for daylight harvesting. There are shafts from the roof through to the floors below that allow daylight to penetrate and promote natural ventilation.

The natural ventilation system allows for a night flush that helps maintain the temperature in the building. Operable windows on each floor open automatically allowing the building to flush heat up through the shafts and out the vents on the roof. The building is designed to be comfortable at a higher than normal temperature range and with the help of ceiling fans on each floor it expands the comfort range during the summer heat which saves energy.

Highlights

• Passively cooled structure with automatic night flush

• Daylight harvesting via cones of light

• 80% of construction debris fully recycled

• LEED Gold Certification

• 43% MWESB participation