Mass Timber Tour of Mercer Middle School
Please join us for a tour of the new Mercer Middle School in Beacon Hill. See below for more information. The event registration link is at the end of the page.
Tour Information:
Date: Thursday, June 20th
Time: 3pm-4:30pm
Location: 1600 S. Columbian Way, Seattle, WA, 98108
Event Description: Come tour the new mass timber middle school that is under construction in Beacon Hill
Event Registration: $5 (See registration link below)
Project Description:
Sitting atop the ridge of Beacon Hill in Seattle, Mercer Middle School lacked prominence within its community and offered only a desolate graded paved site for outdoor space. The new design by Bassetti Architects, reclaims the character of the site by reorienting the school, recreating natural topography, and designing a sustainable school surrounded by native trees. An extensive stakeholder engagement process, involving students, teachers, staff, community members, and the design team helped materialize guiding principles, design ideas, and sustainability goals.
Serving 1000 students, the classroom wings are situated towards the back of the site, offering privacy and immediate access to outdoor learning space. The main entry at the south edge of the site offers admin, gym, and common spaces easily accessible to the community. Moving the footprint of the building towards the street invites learners in and positions the school as a beacon to the surrounding neighborhood. The central corridor of the building serves as the main thoroughfare and draws inspiration from the native name of the land, meaning “green and yellow spine.”
Sustainability is a major design goal of this project. The building is designed to have low embodied carbon and to be energy efficient utilizing a mass timber structural system, ground loop heat pump, daylighting strategies, durable brick façade, and low VOC materials. Using mass timber and CLT products in Mercer Middle School’s construction serves environmental objectives and contributes to the technical aspects of classroom design. The inherent characteristics of these materials, including their structural integrity and aesthetic appeal, play a pivotal role in illuminating classrooms with natural light and optimizing thermal performance. This integration fosters an ergonomic and sustainable educational setting conducive to enhanced student well-being and academic success.
General Contractor: Cornerstone General Contractors
CLT Supplier: Kalesnikoff
Structural Engineer: Coughlin Porter Lundeen
We hope to see you there!
-Alex Zink & Jessica Westermeyer
AIA Seattle Mass Timber Committee co-chairs
This program has sold out. Please contact masstimber@aiaseattle.org if you’re interested in joining the waitlist.
For up to date information and resources, be sure to bookmark our website meeting at https://aiaseattle.org/committees/mass-timber-committee/
ACCESSIBILITY: This is an active jobsite. Accessibility will be limited. If you have any specific accessibility questions or concerns, please reach out to masstimber@aiaseattle.org
COVID/SAFETY: AIA Seattle recommends masking as a demonstration of community care. Please stay home if you are sick or experiencing any symptoms.
