Morken Center Fact Sheet
Architect: Zimmer, Gunsul, Frasca Partnership in Portland, Ore.
Contractor: Sellen Construction in Seattle, Wash.
Project Manager: Lorig & Associates in Seattle, Wash.
Size: 53,137 square feet, two wings, with three stories on the south wing and two on the north wing
Construction Timeline: 13 months
Programs: School of Business, Departments of Mathematics and Computer Science and Computer Engineering as well as Math, Engineering and Science Achievement (MESA)
Building Features: Computer equipped classrooms/laboratories, open lab, multimedia lab, electronics lab, research labs, student and faculty project workrooms, seminar and conference rooms, atrium and cafe, public events room
Location: On PLU's lower campus, west of Rieke Science Center on 10 th Avenue South.
Project Cost: $21 million, including furnishings, equipment, landscaping and parking enhancements.
Technology: There are over seven miles of conduit running through the concrete floors to power advanced technology in the building. All common areas have wireless network access. Some computer science and computer engineering classrooms have student workstations with computers at each desk. Dedicated study areas for seniors completing semester-long “Capstone” coursework allow students to develop ongoing projects in private areas without having to set up and dismantle equipment on a daily basis.
Sustainability Features: Built based on the U.S. Green Building Council’s guidelines for certification under the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program:
- Flooring: Concrete is used in 65 percent of the building to reduce the amount of chemical cleaning products and wax needed to maintain the floors. In areas with carpeting, 60 percent of the carpet is made of recycled content. Carpet was also laid in tiles so small sections can be replaced rather than entire rooms.
- Paint and glue materials: Materials with low-odor volatile organic compounds were used to keep the air in the building clean and odor-free, even on the first day of occupation.
- Glass: Low-energy glass means lower energy use for cooling in warm months.
- Wheat board vs. solid wood doors and cabinets: Wheat board, which is made with post-industrial wheat chaff from commercial farms, is the composite material that fills the doors and makes up the cabinets.
- Geothermal pump system: The building is heated and cooled through a system of 83 geothermal pumps, located 300 feet underground. It is a closed loop that uses water from underground wells to alter the temperature within the building depending on the season. The temperature of groundwater remains a constant 52 to 54 degrees Fahrenheit, so concentrated heat energy from the water can be used to warm the building in the winter. In the summer, when air temperature is much warmer than the underground temperature, the water cools the building. The system uses less energy than traditional heating and cooling systems and is lower maintenance. The system also boasts the distinction of being 100 percent free of hydroflourocarbons, a greenhouse gas proven to deplete the ozone. The use of the geothermal system for heating and cooling means the Morken Center does not use fossil fuels.
- Lighting: Lights in each room are controlled by motion sensors and shut off when no one is in the room. The light fixtures used are 33 percent more efficient than standard lighting fixtures and provide 25 percent more light per fixture.
- Wood: Wood on the main stairway in the atrium is made of bamboo, which is a rapidly renewable hardwood. Veneers of maple and fir elsewhere in the building were harvested from certified sustainable forests. The maple veneers have a wheatboard core; the fir on the ceiling in the atrium is affixed to wheatboard backing.
- Steel: The building’s framing was done with steel that has a recycled content of 95 percent.
- Construction waste: Ninety-three percent of all construction waste was recycled. Construction vehicles were fueled with bio diesel.
- Landscaping: Landscape mulch came from recycled wood. Much of the rest of the landscaping consists of native plant species designed to require little water use.
- Water: An underground cell captures rainwater and gray water and stores it, allowing it to gradually leech back into the ground rather than being deposited into storm drains that require treatment by the county. The building and its fixtures were designed to use little water, including waterless urinals in the men’s bathrooms.
- Natural light: Excluding utility areas, every room in the building has access to natural light and a view of the outdoors.