This past weekend was the grand opening of the newest University of Oregon campus in Portland  calling home to the White Stag Block.The White Stag Block, a refurbished, 103,000 square-foot green facility, merges parts of the White Stag and Hirsch-Weiss, Skidmore Block, and Bickel Block buildings into a single complex at the west end of the Burnside Bridge.

This new campus gives students and professionals even more hands-on opportunities in subjects such as journalism, architecture, digital arts, product design, law, and other continuing education courses. The facility features state-of-the-art classrooms, labs and studios, and space for exhibits, lectures, and both private and public events for up to 200 people.

The facility now features the latest in sustainable technologies and green building design such as environmentally friendly, energy-efficient windows, a brand-new 10,000-gallon storm water retention tank designed to control the facility's runoff, and recycled flooring from the Eugene campus was brought in to make up much of the facility, to name only a few. The UO's White Stag Block even earned LEED Gold certification, which is one of the toughest recognitions granted by the U.S. Green Building Council.

I plan on doing my BFA in Product Design in this building in a few years and am very excited to study here. The UO has done an incredible job in the renovation of this building and should be very proud of all it will do for its students, faculty, and community.