Former Landfill Becomes OSU-Cascades Campus

Over the next 30 years, Oregon State University’s Bend, Oregon branch (OSU-Cascades) will create a 128-acre campus accommodating 5,000 students through the innovative reuse of a former pumice mine and former demolition landfill. The approach to remediating the landfill aligns with this goal through reusing excavated and cleaned material from the landfill to then grade and fill the pumice mine to the desired level, eliminating the need to import backfill material which would take nearly 30,000 truck trips. OSU-Cascades intends to expand slowly but thoughtfully—at the rate of about one building every two years—in order to minimize impact on the surrounding community. 

MFA developed a remediation phasing plan to align with the projected funding availability. The results of the initial site analysis were used to develop remediation costs for multiple redevelopment scenarios. Using an iterative design process, MFA refined the remedial alternatives in collaboration with the OSU team, incorporating feedback received at design charrettes, and prepared an opinion of probable costs for each scenario. 

Based on the results of the engineering due diligence and remediation scenarios, MFA demonstrated that the existing landfill could be repurposed to benefit the community and improve the environmental quality of the encumbered site. This innovative approach to remediation aligns with OSU-Cascades’ goal to provide an important asset to the community in a sustainable and creative manner. 

The first phase of campus expansion is complete and the second phase is underway, involving large-scale waste excavation and processing, site grading, and slope stabilization. Follow along as the project unfolds: https://osucascades.edu/campus-expansion