case study
Pringle Creek’s
PATH
to Net-Zero
How one community transformed a 1930s industrial
By James santana
PhotograPhy,visko hatfield ©2010,
vhPictures.com unless otherwise indicated
Under a rooftop covered in solar panels, Pringle Creek neighbors sit on the deck of Painters Hall com- munity center, sipping iced tea, bird watching and looking out over acres of open space. It’s a modern
vision of a sustainable future — integration of
the built and natural environments, innovative
design and technology — as well as a reminder
of simpler times, when community and resource
conservation were ways of life.
That blend of new and old is found everywhere at Pringle Creek Community, a new
32-acre neighborhood on former state property
in Salem, Ore. It’s especially evident in Painters
Hall, a 1930s-built industrial building that has
been transformed into an ultra-efficient, net-zero-energy, LEED Platinum community center.
36 September/October 2010 SOLAR TODA Y solartoday.org
With a background in green building and community development, James Santana has been a part
of the Pringle Creek development team since the
property was purchased in 2005, helping plan and
design Oregon’s first LEED Platinum home, the Pringle
Creek cottage; and Painters Hall, Oregon’s first LEED
Platinum net-zero-energy commercial building. His
primary role is the development of community spaces
and opportunities that lead to social interaction and
learning. His favorite activity is bicycle adventure travel
with his wife, Jackie.
Painters Hall combines innovative tech- nologies with traditional values. The 1930s building serves as a LEED Platinum, net- zero-energy gathering space for members of the Pringle Creek community.
Pringle Creek Community
