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Architects: NAC Architecture
- Area: 135000 ft²
- Year: 2018
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Photographs:Lara Swimmer
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Lead Architect: Dana Harbaugh
Text description provided by the architects. Formerly the largest community college in Washington State, Bellevue College has recently made the dramatic evolution from com¬muter-college to a 24/7, live/learn four-year institution. The newly constructed Bellevue College Residence Hall is part of the transition plan and marks the beginning of their transition from a commuter campus to a flourishing, multicultural, residential college.
This 370-bed project is conceived in three distinct parts: the west residential wing, the east residential wing, and a common area referred to as “the hub.” The wings break down into nine “neighborhoods” each house approximately 40 students. Within each building wing, centrally located floor lounges invite views and gathering.
Glass bridges connect the east and west wings on each floor and also provide quiet space for study and reflection. The community-oriented ground floor spaces are distributed throughout the site to give students from a wide variety of backgrounds places to connect, unwind, and grow. The ground floor spaces also connect to a central community area that has become a satellite to the campus student union.
Public roof decks and a terraced courtyard amphitheater boast some of the best Pacific Northwest views in the area. A gourmet café is also included and offers both residents and commuting students a vibrant place to gather and dine. The restaurant’s orientation allows students to watch campus baseball games in the spring and summer months. Like the café, the Hall itself has emerged as a lively, sustainable “community of scholars,” and the vibrant foundation for the new campus culture.
A central courtyard extends off of the hub, acting not only as an outdoor gathering space but as a way to celebrate sustainability. The new residence hall achieved a LEED Platinum certification, and this courtyard intentionally puts eco-friendly strategies on display. The terraced landscape design includes cascading rain gardens that engage observers while educating them about how natural, low-im¬pact systems filter and clean stormwater.
A series of waterfalls carries rainwater along an outdoor amphitheater, which features lines from a Langston Hughes poem about rain etched into the seat walls. Bellevue College’s student government embraced this highly-vis¬ible sustainability initiative and helped bring it to life by investing their own student funds into these sustainable landscape improve¬ments.
