Part of Sustainable Building Week
CEU Pending
Located within Portland’s Grant Park, Grant High School is considered the center of its neighborhood, leveraging shared fields, open greenspace, an entry portico referred to as the neighborhood’s “front porch”, and a front lawn where the community has gathered for 100-years. The $138 million, 1,800-student modernization answered the community-wide call to eradicate the boundary between the school and park that developed over time and to re-establish the school as the proud anchor of the community.
The engineering and design team used a variety of sustainable strategies to reach LEED Gold certification and meet the community desire for a sustainable, equitable and inclusive facility, that received an Honor Award in the 2020 AIA Oregon Architecture Awards. The presentation will highlight several of these strategies.
Thank you to our Sponsor:
Speakers:
Chris Brown, AIA
Project Architect, Mahlum
With 20 years of architectural experience, Chris has extensive knowledge in all phases of the planning and design process through construction administration. His background in philosophy and math led him to an architectural approach that emphasizes a thoughtful and pragmatic path to problem-solving that serves a larger design vision. He has previously presented on sustainable schools and seismic resiliency for AIA Oregon, CEFPI, and the Living Future Conference and has contributed to publications on high performance buildings for education.
Aaron Presberg
Senior Program Manager of Energy & Sustainability, Portland Public Schools
Aaron is the Senior Program Manager of Energy & Sustainability at Portland Public Schools where he works on energy efficiency and water conservation programs; plans, scopes, and manages energy projects; oversees the district-wide utility budget; and monitors utility usage for all district facilities. Prior to PPS, he served for AmeriCorps in the CivicSpark program, working on sustainability projects for an affordable housing agency in Ventura, CA and helping reduce their environmental impact through energy and water conservation, waste reduction, education, and training. Aaron received a BS in Social Sciences/Sustainability with a minor in Business from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. In his spare time, he enjoys hiking, playing drums in a local band, and riding his bike around Portland.
Rick Flacco
Outreach manager, Energy Trust New Buildings
Rick is the K-12 schools lead on the New Buildings program, helping maximize energy efficiency and utility incentives in new construction and major renovation projects. He has a strong background in residential and commercial energy efficiency and previously worked with a regional CAP agency supporting an income-qualified weatherization program. Rick has a Bachelor of Science in resource conservation from the University of Montana.
Jamie Hurd
Project Manager Portland Public Schools
Jamie is currently a Project Manager for Portland Public Schools. She was part of the Grant Modernization and is currently on the team working on the Benson Modernization and the Multiple Pathways to Graduation Building. Prior to joining PPS, Jamie worked with Oregon Museum of Science and Industry as part of the team that built the Coastal Discovery Center, a residential camp on the Oregon coast. In her early career, she was a design educator at the Art Institute of Portland for 18 years, both as a teacher and Academic Department Director for the Interior and Industrial Design programs. Jamie received a B. Architecture from the University of Cincinnati and an MA from Reed College.
