Universities Create reen building research programs

Portland Business JournalOregon State University and Portland State University are collaborating to spend $1.6 million to create green building research programs at both universities.The universities are working with the Oregon Built Environment and Sustainable Technologies Center (Oregon BEST) to establish research centers to offer Oregon’s green building businesses access to advanced research tools, expertise and better trained employees.The OSU portion of the investment is $920,000, including $400,000 from Oregon BEST, $470,000 from certificates of participation (via Engineering and Technology Industry Council) and $50,000 from the OSU Research Office. It establishes the Oregon BEST Green Building Materials Laboratory at OSU, a collaboration between the College of Engineering and the OSU College of Forestry. Research in the shared facility, which will be accessible to and open for research by industry partners, will focus on innovating new green building materials, including: hybrid poplar wood engineered to be three times stronger than old-growth Douglas fir, new types of concrete and pavement that are more durable and environmentally friendly and recycled plastics used as building insulation.At PSU, the total investment is $651,000, with $218,000 from Oregon BEST, $351,000 from the James F. and Marion L. Miller Foundation (via PSU’s Center for Sustainable Processes and Practices) and $82,000 from the Oregon University System.The funding will establish the Oregon BEST Green Building Research Laboratory at PSU, where researchers from other OUS institutions and industry can use a suite of infrared cameras and thermal characterization equipment to test everything from green roofs and window glazings to interior moisture levels and a building’s surface temperatures. When the equipment is used in conjunction with other federally funded research projects, it will facilitate a broader investigation of the impact of buildings on the urban environment.Oregon BEST has the goal of increasing research and accelerating public and private partnerships to transform that research into on-the-ground business opportunities and Oregon jobs. Oregon BEST partners include the Oregon Institute of Technology, Oregon State University, Portland State University, the University of Oregon, as well as numerous private businesses, government agencies and non-governmental organizations.