EPCC-Aquatics

EPCC-Aquatics added 24,000 sf to the existing East Portland Community Center to create a full service complex that serves a diversity of recreation needs. The natatorium addition includes a family leisure pool (with water slide, current channel, warm water lap lanes, and play features) as well as a spa and a 4-lane, 25-yard lap pool. Upgraded locker rooms, event rooms and mechanical spaces support the addition.

The facility, funded by a voter-approved bond, was an immediate ‘hit’ with the community who worked hard to support the project. The EPCC-Aquatics facility was awarded a Platinum certification under the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED® NC 2.2 rating system, exceeding the Gold Plus level mandated by the City of Portland’s Green Building Policy.

Since water is a prominent feature of an aquatics center, it is fitting that water conservation is where this project achieves its greatest environmental success. Conservation strategies include low-flow plumbing fixtures, metered shower use, a landscape design that requires no permanent irrigation and, most significantly, an advanced pool filtration system that dramatically reduces the quantity of water used for pool filtration. These strategies allow the building to save more than 1.2 million gallons of water per year compared to a similar facility.

Energy use is predicted to be 60% less than Oregon’s Energy Code, before including energy from an 85.4 kW third-party solar photovoltaic array. The PV array reduces energy savings to 74% better than a conventional design, saving over $60,000 in energy costs annually and allowing the project to achieve every credit in the Energy and Atmosphere category of LEED®.
The project achieved its green building goals without adding significant cost, in part by taking advantage of incentives offered through the State of Oregon’s Business Energy Tax Credit (BETC) and the Energy Trust of Oregon.