Yesler Terrace Community Center
Seattle, Washington

Located within Yesler Terrace, an historic public housing project, this new community center replaces a much smaller facility with a fresh venue reflecting new opportunities for redevelopment in the next decade. The building achieves eco-friendly standards and energy efficiencies through the innovative use of the following design elements:

Site considerations include south-facing views to Mt. Rainier. The building sits back from the street to preserve large heritage red oak street trees, while new plantings incorporate native plant species.

Building orientation: the building is divided into three spaces oriented around a bright, naturally lighted common area

Eco-friendly materials: FSC certified maple is used in key public spaces; linoleum flooring and lowemitting
materials used in the childcare room

Daylighting: building openings are designed so that all rooms need only natural light at midday; use of clerestory windows and skylights are balanced with high-efficiency fluorescent lights that dim or switch off automatically according to occupancy sensors; gymnasium uses dimmable ballasts, making it the first gym in Seattle to provide high daytime lighting levels without artificial lights.

Natural ventilation: size and location of strategically placed operable windows eliminate the need for air-conditioning

Multi-Tasking: all windows/skylights function for both ventilation and daylighting; all spaces have multiple sources of daylight and fresh air for balanced lighting and cross ventilation

Water use: water efficient landscaping and indoor fixtures resulted in a 30 percent reduction in overall water use compared to a conventional structure

Healthy indoor air quality: obtained through improved ventilation, choice of building materials

Construction practices: more than 75 percent of demolition and construction debris was recycled

Safety accommodations: activities visible through windows from the street are inviting and the commons geometry is designed so that staff can monitor all entries from the reception desk. Sense of community: vibrant new gathering place brings neighborhood together

Community Participation: early meetings with neighbors created a new playground by placing much of the parking below the gymnasium

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