Mount Angel High Performance Classroom

Project Information

In our continued work to create highly efficient, functional, and beautiful spaces, we partnered with SRG and CPI to create a daylit classroom at the Mount Angel Abbey that required no cooling in the summers.  Mount Angel served as both a project space and a research site.

We developed a combination of a skylight with operable louvers and a daylight reflector suspended below it to create evenly distributed daylight throughout the classroom. This controls heat gain while allowing a skylight large enough to completely daylight (4% daylight factor) a space during daylight hours – electric lights are needed only at night. The result is that 95% of the time the building is in use, no electric lighting is required. 

This project resulted in impressive energy performance, being 62% more efficient than the Oregon building code at the time. Due to its success, this skylight design has inspired further implementation of climate responsive daylighting features in buildings across the country.