The project is a new 2,000 square foot building at the Organic Farm site. The original Program included a soils lab, food demonstration lab, lecture classroom, office space and support spaces. A future, alternate building and deck was planned, but not built. The building and site improvements integrate with the overall farm Master Plan. The project is unique in that students from The Evergreen State College led the Schematic Design and Programming Phases with oversight by a faculty instructor. Design charettes and critiques were facilitated by the Architectural and Engineering Design Team. The A/E Design Team used the student Schematic Design options to prepare final Schematic Design cost estimating, commentary and recommendations for Design Development. Schematic Designs came in three times the budget. The design team reconfigured and simplified the design, including providing alternatives to turn the project into a “Net-Zero Ready” project, with easy plug-in features as funding allows.

Working with the students during Schematic Design, the A/E team provided tours, presentations on sustainable systems, eco-charette and facilitated a tour and review by the Daylighting Lab. The students performed site analysis including tree survey, drainage studies, sun, wind and light surveys, and master plan analysis. The project sustainability goals are to meet the College’s challenge to make all facilities carbon neutral by 2020. More