Core Design Team

Firm: Mahlum Architects

Kim Olson – AIA – Project Manager
Octavio GutiĂ©rrez – AIA NOMA LEED AP – Project Designer
Kari Heus – IIDA LEED AP – Interior Designer
Chris Brown – AIA LEED AP BD+C – Project Architect
Brandon Lambrecht – AIA – Architectural Staff
Kurt Haapala – FAIA – Principal-in-Charge

Consultants/Collaborators

Owner: Washington State School for the Blind
Consulting Architect: MASS Design Group
Universal Design & Consulting Architect: Architecture for the Blind
Landscape Architect: Mayer/Reed
Civil Engineer: KPFF Consulting Engineers
Structural Engineer: Lund Opsahl
Mechanical & Acoustical Engineer: The Greenbusch Group
Electrical Engineer: Reyes Engineering
Cost Estimating: RLB
Photographer: Lincoln Barbour
Contractor: Pease & Sons

Project Narrative

Learning Independence for Today and Tomorrow (LIFTT) is a 10-month residential program designed to teach independent living skills to young adults who are blind or have low vision. The new 11,570 SF building replaces a single-story brick structure from the 1970s on the Washington State School for the Blind (WSSB) campus (serving grades 6-12) and is the new home for two programs previously located elsewhere on campus: the LIFTT program’s Life Skills Training Center occupies the ground floor and the Washington Department of Services for the Blind (DSB) new office is located on the second floor.

THE LIFTT PROGRAM
Created through a collaboration between WSSB and DSB, the LIFTT program is offered to high school graduates aged 18-21 who are interested in experiencing independence through real-life practice before transitioning to less protective settings. Participants live on campus from September to June, including weekends, and learn to manage all aspects of adult life. The LIFTT curriculum covers nine core areas: personal care, kitchen skills, household management, financial management, time management, community access and travel, interpersonal relationships, assistive technology, and vocational skills.

A key aspect of the program is for participants to learn life skills by supervised staff, and then to spend significant time unsupervised to allow them to take personal responsibility for their day-to-day activities, fostering true self-sufficiency. As such, the Life Skills Training Center is designed
to mimic a home and includes everything a person might expect to find there:

  • Foyer with area to hang coats and store shoes
  • Individual private bedrooms and bathrooms
  • Shared areas such as a den, dining room, activity/art room, workout room, and kitchen
  • Large open air balcony with Adirondack chairs
  • Outside courtyard serves as a backyard with a covered dining area and gas barbecue grill

Everyday objects and building components (such as lighting and appliances) are presented in multi-sensory formats. Varying options for control and operability equip participants with an understanding of the range of choice and enable them to confidently advocate for their needs upon completion of the program.

DEPARTMENT OF SERVICES FOR THE BLIND
The new office space for DSB is “one front door” for people of all ages who are blind or have low vision. Providing training, counseling, and support services, the space comprises a reception area, resource workstation (where people needing assistance can use computers, print in braille, etc.), staff offices, a conference room, a vision lab, and an assistive-technology lab.

ENGAGEMENT
The design process relied heavily on broad engagement and outreach to a diverse stakeholder group – many stakeholders were blind or have low vision. Coupled with COVID-19 restrictions and Zoom meetings, new techniques beyond visual and verbal communication were devised. 3D plans were printed, interactive modeling was done with wax sticks, and material samples were labeled with braille. These were all sent to the stakeholder group prior to online meetings to support effective dialogue and engagement as the design developed.

CREATING COMMUNITY
The client emphasized the need for a welcoming and comfortable space that encourages residents to avoid isolating in their bedrooms and instead engage with others in shared spaces to foster a sense of
community and identity. To promote communal interaction and enhance social skills, the shared living area provides soft furnishings; the dining room features a tactile art gallery wall with pieces created by blind and low vision artists; and spaces are provided for those who want to play instruments, make art, or exercise together.

DESIGNING FOR THE SENSES
Architecture typically emphasizes the visual aspects of space, but the client’s requirements compelled the team to approach design from a different perspective. Senses that are primary to those who are blind or have low vision became the priority.

The design focuses on how spaces feel, smell, and sound rather than solely relying on visual appeal.

Sound: Acoustical design of the facility aims to support people who navigate the world through sound. Strategies include Acoustic Dowel Laminated Timber (DLT) ceilings and light fixtures with soundabsorptive qualities in shared areas. Sound was also used to enhance residents’ experiences by directing rainwater onto a splash pad in the outdoor courtyard, accentuating the experience of weather through sound.

Light: Lighting design is crucial, as the type and intensity of light can significantly impact people with low vision. Therefore, all living and learning spaces, including private bedrooms and bathrooms, provide dimmable options and adjustable color temperature controls that participants learn to operate.

Touch: Textures and shapes play a large role in how a person who is blind or has low vision experiences and navigates the world. Through engagement sessions with LIFTT alumni, the design team learned commercial carpet can be experienced as hard and unwelcoming. Instead, a plush carpet was installed in both the main living room and the individual bedrooms to indicate a change in room typology and to provide the “home comfort” residents were seeking. (Diligent technical coordination also mattered: the plush carpet was inset into the floor slab to avoid tripping hazards between adjacent materials.) On the exterior, heavy texture was added to the concrete sidewalk at the building’s main entries to help signal arrival.

Scent: Trees, plants, and shrubs were carefully analyzed and selected for the surrounding landscape based on fragrance, while also being sensitive not to overwhelm sense of smell. An herb garden in the outdoor courtyard allows residents to interact by touching and smelling the herbs on their hands, while also harvesting them for use in the kitchen. As much as inviting scents were thoughtfully integrated, it was equally important to consider how some scents may negatively impact the residents’ experience. Interior materials in particular were reviewed for potential off-gassing, and low-to-no VOC materials were chosen for the totality of the project.

SUSTAINABILITY
Sustainable strategies were integrated into the design at every turn, particularly those that supported the specific needs of the residents. A special focus was placed on exemplary indoor environmental quality through a variety of means and to address all the senses.

Air source heat pumps and a dedicated outside air system provide fresh air and efficient thermal comfort. Pollutants were kept out of the building through a strict protocol of using low-emitting materials, in concert with rigorous documentation and optimization of material choices for overall material health.

The building is also low in embodied carbon, using wood for structure, siding, finishes, and even for acoustic treatment through use of dowel-laminated timber floor. The energy source is electric and incorporates a 25kW PV array on the roof. Natural gas is used only for training purposes on one cook-top and an outside grill. The result is a building certified LEED Gold under LEED v4.1 BD+C: New Construction with 68 points, far exceeding the owner’s requirement of LEED Silver.

ADVOCACY
While a goal of this project was to provide comfortable spaces for LIFTT participants as they learn to transition to independent adult life, the design team believes the longer lasting impact of the building will be when residents graduate and move on to their independent lives.

Empowered with the knowledge of how the built environment can be designed to accommodate unique circumstances, these young adults will be able to advocate for themselves in future living environments, which will in turn be transformational for the continuous improvement of accessible and inclusive design.

And by demonstrating how small moves can make a big impact, the design team is continually sharing the strategies developed and lessons learned, ensuring the Life Skills Training Center will serve as a model towards a more inclusive industry.