OHSU CENTER FOR HEALTH & HEALING

A Healthy Building Inspires New Public Outreach

The Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Center for Health & Healing, located in the 38-acre South Waterfront Central District, is one of the largest LEED Platinum projects in the nation and the first medical facility in the world to be built to this standard. The 16-story, 412,000-square-foot building has eight levels devoted to physician practices, surgery and imaging, and three floors that house a health and wellness center. The wellness center features a gymnasium, four-lane lap pool, therapy pool, weight training and a day spa. Four levels are dedicated to education and research activities, including space for a biomedical engineering program. The ground floor houses retail space, including a pharmacy, optical shop and a café.

To obtain LEED Platinum, we needed to employ a number of innovative sustainability solutions. Sunshades on the side of the building double as solar power generators and the building houses the first large-scale, on-site micro-turbine plant in Oregon to generate electricity. This helps to meet 30 percent of the building’s electrical demand and nearly all of its hot water needs, reducing reliance on non-renewable energy sources. This kind of thinking extends throughout the district in myriad ways, from sourcing local products for construction, to recycling more than 90% of construction waste.

An on-site wastewater treatment plant will treat 100 percent of the wastewater on site with rainwater and wastewater harvested for toilets and landscaping. This will reduce potable water use by approximately 56 percent compared to a similar conventional building and will save 15,000 gallons a day from reaching the city’s overburdened sewer system.

Also, the OHSU Center for Health & Healing is the first large building in the U.S. to replace air conditioning with vastly more efficient chilled beams. Similar to an automotive radiator placed horizontally just below the ceiling, chilled water passes through the beams and natural convention currents carry cool air down to the occupant zone in the reception areas.

Adjacent to the facility is a 70-person tram that connects this building and other OHSU facilities to the OHSU complex perched high on the hill above the district. The 5-minute ride enables OHSU to grow in an urban setting instead of expanding to the suburbs. Securing the state’s largest research institution and Portland’s largest employer provided a catalyst for the entire South Waterfront district. It took creative thinking by the city, OHSU and developers to find this unique and elegant solution.