Bend Science Station and Cascades Academy embrace design as a learning tool in environmentally sensitive buildings serving young Oregonians
Bend, OR (Nov. 23, 2021) – Students in Central Oregon are learning directly from their classroom buildings, demonstrating that interactive, award-winning, energy efficient design is possible at every scale and can serve everyone. Cascades Academy of Central Oregon, located in Tumalo, and Bend Science Station on the campus of OSU-Cascades, each received a coveted AIA design award this fall, growing the number of accolades each building has received. Designed by Hennebery Eddy Architects, Cascades Academy and Bend Science Station both respond to Bend’s unique high desert climate but feature design elements specific to the students and communities they serve.
Bend Science Station (BSS) received a Citation Award from AIA Oregon, with jurors noting the use of materials and light to blend indoor and outdoor spaces, and that the building provides learning opportunities in “a 360-degree, dimensional way.” The building sits at the public entrance to OSU-Cascades, and fuses experiential learning and architecture, seen in the demonstration tower, outdoor classroom, and visible sustainable design features. Designed to generate 15% more energy than it uses, BSS meets the University’s campus master plan and building performance requirements. BSS serves 7,000 students and 200 teachers (pre-pandemic) from nearly 40 schools across Deschutes County annually, providing young students from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds early exposure to a university campus and learning environment. The building received a merit award from the AIA Northwest & Pacific Region in 2019 and an Architecture 2030 Award from AIA Oregon in 2020.
AIA’s Northwest & Pacific Region recognized Cascades Academy of Central Oregon with a Merit Award for the successful expansion of the school which created new classrooms, a student commons dedicated to the growing upper school, and a makerspace serving all, and enhanced the nature play area for the lower school. The expansion embraces the school’s experiential learning curriculum and the relationship between indoor and outdoor spaces, providing a one-of-a-kind learning environment for Central Oregon students. Hennebery Eddy has partnered with Cascades Academy for more than a decade, creating a largely self-sufficient 21-acre K-12 campus that utilizes a 24.6-kW photovoltaic array, a geo-exchange system serving radiant flooring, displacement ventilation with 100% outside air, and an on-site wastewater treatment system. The school previously received design awards from AIA Portland (now AIA Oregon), IIDA Oregon, and WoodWorks.