Mount Angel Abbey’s new Annunciation Center for Theological Studies completes the Benedictine teaching, retreat and worship center on the hill above Mount Angel, Oregon. With its expansive views of the Willamette Valley, and soaring, arched windows and ceilings, the building nurtures the contemplative study of God. Annunciation is the result of a close and dynamic collaboration between Mount Angel Abbey, SRG Partnership, SOLARC Architecture & Engineering, the University of Oregon’s Energy Studies in Buildings Laboratory (ESBL) and BetterBricks. The 21,600-square-foot building includes six classrooms and a boardroom in a single-story portion, and 25 faculty and administrative offices and student and faculty support spaces in a three-story portion. Classrooms are used primarily September through May, but the other spaces and offices are designed to be used year-round. The concept for Mount Angel started with data drawn from a study funded by BetterBricks of a high performance classroom innovation by ESBL, BOORA Architects and Solarc. SRG saw the findings and models and with the help of ESBL built a prototype to test and refine the design concepts for application at Mount Angel. The design innovation included a large central skylight with special integrated shading and light diffusion devices as well as optimum use of natural ventilation (see description below). The real key to success though was the willingness of the designers and owners to do the research and testing of multiple options to find the best, most cost-effective solution. The owners and design team chose challenging goals: to employ no mechanical cooling and provide 95 percent of the annual classroom lighting demand through daylighting. To achieve these goals, they designed synergistic daylighting, and passive heating, cooling and ventilation systems. As a result of this integrated design implementation, the energy analysis completed toward the end of the design identified the building to be 62 percent more energy efficient than Oregon Energy Code required at that time. These goals honor the Benedictine traditions of hospitality, fine craftsmanship and stewardship of the earth’s resources. READ MORE