Morken Center at Pacific Lutheran University
Tacoma, Washington

The Morken Center is helping to fulfill Pacific Lutheran University's goal of better preparing students for the demands of a rapidly changing, globalized world through new levels of collaboration and synergy between educational disciplines. The 57,000 SF academic facility houses three traditionally unrelated departments—the School of Business, the Department of Computer Science & Computer Engineering, and the Department of Mathematics.

Building responsibly in an environ-mental context was a key goal these departments fundamentally embraced and thus became a strong focus for the design. Not only do technological advances help to utilize resources more efficiently, but building sustainably is consistent with PLU's mission to educate students for service to society. Sustainable design features are included throughout this academic center which is a Gold LEED-certified project.

The facility includes classrooms, laboratories, faculty offices, conference rooms, an atrium and a café. A central, two-story lobby with common spaces is intended to promote informal exchanges between students and faculty. The building design draws from the context of more traditional campus buildings in both form and materials, while incorporating state-of-the-art technology and flexibility.

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