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When Portland State University graduate architecture student Reid Weber spent weeks using computer modeling to pinpoint the best type of light well for a new school building, his findings extended beyond a class paper.

Weber’s daylighting analysis helped convince Oregon Episcopal School officials to include a light well in plans designed by THA Architecture for new preschool and elementary school buildings in Portland. His research involved working with THA designers at the firm’s downtown Portland office and contributing to the design of a real-world project.

鈥淚 hadn’t had a lot of professional experience in an architecture firm,鈥� he said. 鈥淏eing in on some of the meetings was a really great experience.鈥�

Weber is among 27 PSU architecture students who recently completed 10 research projects in partnership with Portland architecture firms during a 10-week advanced building technology course. The required class is part of the PSU School of Architecture‘s Research-based Design Initiative, which pairs architecture students with local firms to conduct building science research on actual projects.

PSU assistant architecture professor Corey Griffin and architecture professor Sergio Palleroni started the initiative in 2011 with the help of a $16,000 grant from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards. In August, the Oregon Community Foundation pledged $100,000 more over the next five years to support the initiative, and Griffin said he’s hoping to get more engineering firms and students involved in the program.

鈥淧reviously, from year to year I didn’t know if we could keep doing this,鈥� Griffin said. 鈥淚t’s a relief to me to keep planning. I feel like we can actually refine this process and increase the value to the students and the firms.鈥�

The program has also gained the financial support of the five participating architecture firms: THA Architecture, SRG Partnership, Yost Grube Hall Architecture, Boora Architects and ZGF Architects. By 2018, each firm will have contributed $8,000 toward sustaining the course and the research the students produce.

鈥淚t’s a really important resource not only for these students, but for this region,鈥� SRG Partnership principal Kent Duffy said. 鈥淭hat’s why we support it with our time and money.鈥�

The graduate class has a larger impact than a more traditional building science lecture course, Griffin said. Participating Portland architecture firms glean information for design decisions through student research using university labs and modeling software, he said. At the same time, students learn skills that the firms seek in new hires while working side-by-side with professional architects.

鈥淭hey have a skill set in building science research,鈥� Griffin said. 鈥淢y long-term goal is we’re going to have a bunch of students in Portland that have a unique skill set 鈥� The firms actually set aside desk space (for the students). We’ve come to think of it as a kind of practicum.鈥�

The students’ research projects have included computer modeling to assess the impacts of wind, natural ventilation and daylighting on project designs. They’ve also conducted post-occupancy analyses on the energy performance of completed buildings to help improve design strategies or plan a renovation.

The information the students are compiling is becoming increasingly valuable to architecture firms, but they often lack the time or the resources to complete the necessary research, Griffin said.

鈥淭he clients are getting savvier,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hey want to see evidence that what the architects are saying will happen, will happen.鈥�

This is precisely why SRG is such a strong supporter of the PSU program, Duffy said. Students have researched factors that impact building designs, such as wind patterns and daylighting, that staffers wouldn’t otherwise have time for, he said.

鈥淵ou find out new information when someone does actual analysis,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e find that really valuable to make informed decisions 鈥� Now we’re starting to realize we need to know these things to make decisions.鈥�

Much of Oregon Community Foundation funding supports a teaching assistant position, currently held by Weber, to help coordinate breaking up the students into groups that work with the five architecture firms on 10 research projects, Griffin said. Staffers from each firm suggest several research projects and are paired up with students who are interested in researching those topics.

The students produce reports on the findings of their research projects that are made public.

鈥淚n many cases, those papers are of such a quality that they are being presented at academic research conferences,鈥� Griffin said.

The students share their findings during a research symposium with the participating firms. One held last month at the Portland Center for Architecture was a great educational experience, graduate architecture student Julia Mollner said.

鈥淚 think it was really interesting to see different people from different architecture firms talking about ways of collaborating and topics that they were interested in,鈥� she said.

Mollner said she appreciated that the course allowed her to work closely with Boora Architects staffers on her research.

鈥淏eing able to come into a graduate program and get your foot in the door with a firm was really valuable,鈥� she said.

Mollner’s research during the course involved conducting a post-occupancy analysis of a school where she concluded that the building designers made assumptions about how it would be used.

鈥淭here’s this disparity between how they think people will use the space and how people actually use it,鈥� she said.

That’s been one of the most interesting parts about the course, Weber said. The learning goes both ways and includes exposing firm staffers to new computer modeling software.

鈥淚t was eye-opening the different research that the firms are doing,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e are kind of showing them that they can use these tools.鈥�