by SOLARC Architecture and Engineering, Inc.

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New Construction
Mixed Use
Eugene, Oregon
12,000 SF
2008
$4.5 million
$198,406
Architecture, Mechanical & Electrical Engineering

2008 AIA/SWO People's Choice Award

The WaterShed is a uniquely beautiful and energy and resource efficient mixed use development in the Skinner Butte neighborhood of Eugene. While some buildings include "green features," the WaterShed building went to the drawing board with the demand that it incorporate all possible passive and active opportunities to minimize its footprint. The owners of the building also required that this addition to the Skinner's Butte neighborhood complement its surroundings.

Energy efficiency at WaterShed starts with a well insulated structure created with aerated autoclaved concrete, additional insulation around the wall penetrations, windows, doors and roofs, and triple glazed windows.
Daylighting strategies are used throughout the building to maximize lighting efficiency. An innovative mechanical system integrates ground-source heat pumps for heating and cooling, radiant floors, solar thermal collectors, heat recovery ventilators and photovoltaic panels.

Water resource conservation is given equal importance in the design: semi-pervious pavers line the courtyard and exterior paths, diverting much of the site's runoff from the city storm drainage system. Also diverted for reuse is much of the rainwater that falls on the roofs and terraces. A system of downspouts and two large vertical cisterns store up to 16,000 gallons of rainwater used for washing clothes, toilet flushing and landscape irrigation.

Energy usage 52% better than current code
Carbon foot print reduced by 52 to 92%
Exceeds 2010 goals of the 2030 challenge.