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Officials at the University of Oregon School of Architecture and Allied Arts recently opened the largest facility in the United States — possibly the world — for testing materials and designs used for building facades.

Architecture professor Ihab Elzeyadi, creator of the Facade Integrated Technologies (FIT) Testing Facility, said it will not only educate students but also provide an invaluable service to the construction industry. Architects, designers, engineers and construction professionals can have materials and designs tested for energy efficiency and weather endurance at the facility.

For example, Elzeyadi said, someone might have questions about the effectiveness of a particular chemical coating, insulation method or green wall panel.

“We can provide the testing to come up with some of those answers,” he said.

Elzeyadi said the facility had a quiet “soft opening” last month.

“We wanted to get some projects going so that we have things we are already working on when we have a formal opening,” he said. “This is definitely the largest facility of this kind in the United States. I don’t know about the rest of the world, but it is definitely the largest in this country.”

The facility is part of the High Performance Environments Lab (HiPE) founded by Elzeyadi in 2008. As a result, he said, people who come to the new facility for testing also have access to expertise regarding lighting, daylighting, ventilation, acoustics, solar energy and other energy efficiency aspects.

FIT occupies three stories of Onyx Bridge, a 51-year-old building on the University of Oregon campus off of Franklin Boulevard. An “envelope” that extends some three feet beyond the building is attached to the south facade. The envelope is wired with sensors that measure light intensity, solar radiation, temperatures, wind speed, acoustics and shading effects.

In essence, Elzeyadi said, the entire building itself is a giant laboratory. When building materials are attached to the envelope, they can be monitored and tested. The envelope can test sections as small as 2 feet by 2 feet.

Envelope construction was completed last fall. More than 220 sensors collect data from the structure. The sensors are divided into 10 bays, or sections, measuring 8 feet by 8 feet. Each bay is named after a famous architect known for innovative facade designs.

Elzeyadi said that by this fall he and other researchers will have enough data to make a presentation at a larger and more formal opening for the facility. The data will be used to develop software to help designers and contractors integrate new technologies into their buildings, he said.

FIT is already being used for research and development of building components that will transform the construction industry, said Jim Barlow, director of science and research communications at the University of Oregon.

“It also attracts future research and collaboration potential between various academic institutions, disciplines and industry-funded research for actual verification and testing of building facade products,” he said.

Initial funding for the facility came from a $273,000 donation from Oregon BEST. Established by the Legislature, Oregon BEST is an independent nonprofit organization designed to link private industry to Oregon universities to promote energy efficiency and green technology through education and research.

Additional funding for the $300,000 project came from the Oregon University System’s Office of capital projects as well as the University of Oregon.

“FIT acts as a catalyst to generate new and innovative products that strengthen Oregon’s green building industries by working in collaboration with world leaders and Oregon-based facade manufacturers and consultants,” Barlow said.

The facility also attracts students interested in becoming the next generation’s green building researchers and technicians, he said.

“This is really pushing the envelope in terms of research,” Elzeyadi said.

Barlow said materials tested at the facility might include products generated by other Oregon BEST researchers and university personnel or promising new products that face market barriers – such as electrochromic windows or holographic glazing.

David Kenney, president and executive director of Oregon BEST, called FIT a “world-class facility” that will provide a major advantage to Oregon’s construction industry.

“Anyone who wants to use facility should contact me, and we’ll see if their project fits within the testing framework,” Elzeyadi said.