Westside Christian High School, USA
Education Case Study
CLIENT
CHALLENGE
Delivering natural light to interior school gym
RESULTS
Optimized lighting, improved health, reduced energy use
PRODUCT
ARCHITECT
BACKGROUND
Westside Christian High School is a nondenominational educational facility located in Tigard, Oregon. After 33 years, the student population had outgrown the current space, prompting the construction of a new campus near downtown Portland.
CHALLENGE
As plans were developed for the new facility, incorporating daylight into the school’s gym became a main objective. Administrators wanted students to benefit from exposure to natural light during the school day while reducing the building’s electricity use. This posed a problem, however, because the gym was designated for an interior location with no access to the outside.
The original strategy was to install traditional skylights, but concerns about adequate illumination and hot spots prompted the architect to seek other options.
SOLUTION
That’s when InteriorTech, a building specialty contractor, proposed the use of Solatube Daylighting Systems to meet the administration’s daylighting needs. After reviewing daylight modeling data and comparing output performance to that of traditional skylights, the administration realized that tubular daylighting systems would provide a greater abundance and higher quality of light while reducing energy use.
Upon receiving approval, InteriorTech installed 20 SkyVault® Series M74 DS units for daytime lighting, complemented by LED lights with timers for nighttime lighting.
“The gym is beautiful during the day with no lights on.”
Dan Quatier President of InteriorTech
RESULTS
OPTIMISED LIGHTING
Since installing the Solatube Daylighting Systems, the school’s gym has become a showcase for natural lighting. The units’ advanced optics capture massive amounts of high quality daylight for abundant output during athletic
events, assemblies and concerts.
STUDENT BENEFITS
Sunlight is proven to help students feel more engaged, optimisitic, and perform better overall. Reduced Energy Use Energy savings is another benefit. With daylight illuminating the gym, electric lights stay off during the day. This has allowed the school to cut its electricity consumption, lower its utility bills and minimize its carbon footprint.
REDUCED ENERGY USE
Energy savings is another benefit. With daylight illuminating the gym, electric lights stay off during the day. This has allowed the school to cut its electricity consumption, lower its utility bills and minimize its carbon footprint.
“In addition to providing such incredible natural light and reducing energy use, the Solatube units are attractive and fit into the overall ceiling structure in such a way that they enhance the beauty of the space.”
Dr. Deborah Miller, Head of School Westside Christian High School
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