The 2019 Best of Design Awards winners for Education

2019 Best of Design Award winner for Education: Cottonwood Canyon Experience Center
Designer: Signal Architecture + Research
Location: Wasco, Oregon

“Who wouldn’t want to learn (or teach) there? Beautiful details give power to the overall restraint of the design, a nod to the surrounding landscape.” —Oana Stănescu

As the heart of the Cottonwood Crossing Summer Institute run by Eastern Oregon University and Oregon State Parks, the project was inspired by a place-based idea of hands-on, site-specific education. To accommodate educational projects dealing with solar engineering, species diversity, botany, writing, and more, Signal Architecture + Research was tasked to create a highly adaptive, multipurpose design. Indoor spaces were configured to be flexible, with expansive doors allowing the interior spaces to effectively double in size when opened to the exterior covered spaces. The center uses local juniper, metal siding, and durable concrete floors—materials that age well. Inspired by barns of the region, the nearly net-zero building emanates resilience and grit in a simple form.

Project Manager and Owner: Oregon State Parks
Landscape Architect: Walker Macy
Structural Engineer: Lund Opsahl
Solar Energy Consultant: Sunbridge
Solar Construction: Tapani