New Residence Hall, Oregon Tech

Nestled between the great Klamath Basin and the eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountains, the New Residence Hall at Oregon Tech enhances the first-year experience. The new 511-bed, four-story residential community was shaped by student input and designed to foster a sense of pride, encourage students to thrive, and provide a comfortable and inviting place to return to each day.

Throughout the design process, the team prioritized a high-quality student experience, leading to several key innovations. The campus-wide geothermal system provides heated sidewalks for student safety and heats student rooms through a multi-story VRF system, reducing energy consumption. Cost-saving measures like a siphonic roof drain system and a single-stack plumbing vent system significantly cut down material and labor expenses while improving overall efficiency.

The mass timber structural system design expedites construction, supports campus decarbonization, and provides students with a natural interior environment. One of the first multi-story mass timber projects in the State of Oregon’s higher education system, the new residence hall will reinforce connection to the natural environment through the presence of exposed natural timber ceilings and sweeping views to Klamath Lake.

The design of the new building resulted in substantial carbon savings: over 1,700 metric tons of CO2 less than a comparable concrete building. (This savings is equal to the energy powering ~400 single-family homes for one year.) The mass timber structural system also saved time over a conventionally constructed building of the same size – over 11,740 work-hours, totaling nearly $1.6M in project costs.