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Architects: Weinstein A|U
- Area: 40265 m²
- Year: 2008
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Photographs:Chester Weir, Michael Burns
Text description provided by the architects. This new 40,000 sqf state-of-the-art facility, located along Seattle’s light rail line, anchors Seattle Housing Authority’s (SHA) Rainier Vista housing redevelopment and has become a vital neighborhood community center. In collaboration with SHA the site plan was designed to maximize the neighborhood pedestrian connections and public amenities, including lighted paths, a new public play area and play field, and pedestrian plazas.
While cost-effective and durable, the design endeavors to “make the most with the least,” transcending industrial construction systems into an engaging, light-filled facility for children and teens. In an effort to resonate with kids, a straightforward expression of materials and methods of construction was embraced. The program includes game rooms, an Internet café, technology labs, a music studio, classrooms, and a double gymnasium and multipurpose room that can be opened up to create larger, shared spaces for community functions.
Daylight is an essential material of the project, and the design creates dynamic opportunities for interaction and supervision between uses through inventive transparencies. A 2010 AIA Seattle Commendation Award winning project, it also incorporates numerous sustainable practices within the design earning a LEED Silver certification.
