Seminar II, The Evergreen State College
Olympia, Washington

Design implementation for this 153,000 square-foot academic facility reflects the college's interdisciplinary teaching philosophy and commitment to environmental advocacy. The building is comprised of five learning clusters. Each of these clusters support interdisciplinary academic programs and house faculty offices, individual student "homerooms," seminar rooms, a workshop, a lecture hall, and a studio. The clusters are organized vertically to support cluster identity, to break down the scale of the building, and to encourage interaction among users.

This organization supports the green goals of the project by providing an open organizing space that not only serves as a social connector and as a natural ventilation "chimney" and daylighting "tube." Other sustainable design features include waterless urinals, gardens covering 40-percent of the roofs to capture runoff, projected use of 40-percent less energy than traditional construction, and no VOC (volatile organic compound) materials.

Each cluster fingers out into the adjoining forest, creating a link to the unique Evergreen environment and maximizing access to daylight, fresh air and views. A complex of connector spaces that are primarily open and unconditioned joins the five clusters. This space acts not only as a linkage for the academic clusters, but for the campus as a whole, knitting together level changes and isolated buildings into one cohesive campus plan.

> Tacoma School of the Arts

 

Click to view site/tour photos