University of Oregon

Lillis Business Complex

The University of Oregon wanted a green, environmentally responsive, forward-thinking building for their new Business School facility. The University retained the SRG Partnership, an Oregon firm well known for green design. The team set LEED Silver as their goal for the complex and also sought to incorporate solar electricity into the design.

SDA collaborated with the design team to define the most attractive options for solar integration and then designed a five-story building-integrated (BIPV) curtain wall for the south facade. The “electric glass” was designed with a varying density of solar cells to limit unwanted solar glare and gain in the upper areas while preserving visual transparency at the floor level. Electric glass was also employed in the skylights to reduce glare while providing filtered daylight and additional solar electricity. In addition, all available roof area is harvesting solar power.

When completed, the University of Oregon solar facade was the largest vertical building-integrated PV application of electric glass in the US. The building achieved LEED Silver from the USGBC. Based in part on student enthusiasm for their new green facility, the University has recently started a “Green MBA” program.