Seattle Academy of Arts & Sciences
Gymnasium & Fine Arts/Performing Arts Center
Seattle
Miller/Hull

Two interventions create a consolidated urban campus

© Ben Benschneider

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This independent school for middle and upper school children includes two parts—a new 45, 000-square-foot gymnasium facility and a visual and performance arts center, located in an existing 35,000 square foot concrete and timber framed warehouse. Both projects help to consolidate the school’s functions in an urban campus setting.

The gym building is sited on an urban lot bounded on the west by the art center and a commercial/ pedestrian zone, and to the east by multi- and single-family residences. The program included a lower level parking garage, a gym space with a basketball and two practice courts, a weight room, dance space, locker rooms, a lobby, concession space, and coach’s offices.

The main floor lobby flanks the south side of the gym and connects to the adjacent arts center’s upper level. In keeping with the neighborhood’s industrial past, the building features exposed construction systems. Steel columns and beams act as the primary support structure; the foundations and parking garage are reinforced concrete. The building conveys an image of economy, efficiency, and order.

Included in the arts centers program is a 250-seat performance venue, a black box theater, vocal and instrumental teaching and practice spaces, dance recital and practice hall, 2D and 3D art studios, general classrooms, and theater support spaces. The design incorporates the rugged qualities of the existing warehouse, while also providing a high-tech environment for learning in the twenty-first century. An open and naturally lit three-story timber and steel stairway in the commons area connects all levels and provides social space for mingling between classes. The lobby doubles as a street front gallery space for student work.

Formal name of Project:
Seattle Academy of Arts & Sciences
Gymnasium & Fine Arts/Performing Arts Center

Location:
Seattle

Owner:
Seattle Academy of Arts & Sciences

Architect:
Miller/Hull
71 Columbia – Sixth Floor
Seattle, WA 98104
Phone: (206) 682.6837
Fax: (206) 682.5692