Core Design Team

Firm: Mithun

WALTER SCHACHT, Architecture
JEAN-CLAUDE LETOURNEAU, Architecture
ARIELLE CROWDER, Interior Design
DOROTHY FARIS, Landscape Architecture
CIMA MALEK-ASLANI, Architecture
KRISTIN MJOLSNES, Architecture
LOWELL DAY, Architecture
LAURA DURGERIAN, Landscape Architecture
JAKE MINDEN, Landscape Architecture
DAWID POL, Architecture
ROSEMARIE GREGOIRE, Architecture
JIM REISINGER, Architecture

Consultants/Collaborators

General Contractor/Construction Manager: Korsmo Construction
Civil engineer: AHBL, Inc.
Landscape Architect: Mithun
Structural engineer: PCS Structural Solutions
Stormwater designer: Mayfly Engineering + Design, PLLC
M/E, IT engineer: GFT Inc. (Formerly BCE Engineers)
Plumbing & acoustic engineers: The Greenbusch Group, Inc.
Audio visual designer: Affiliated Engineers, Inc.

Project Narrative

INTRODUCTION

The Center for Innovative Learning and Engagement (CILE) is a programmatic and physical gateway. It connects students to peers, faculty and staff, provides access to contemporary learning environments and opens doors to career pathways. CILE is located at the intersection of the campus pedestrian mall and central quadrangle, connecting them as it looks towards Mt. Rainier’s inspiring profile. The new, three-story, 51,325 square foot facility is certified LEED Gold.

CILE is organized around informal student gathering and study spaces that foster engagement. They are surrounded by faculty offices and multi-mediaenhanced labs and classrooms for programs which utilize learning by doing pedagogies to promote innovation including digital arts and music, anthropology, business, humanities and the social sciences. Together, they promote communications, collaboration and creativity, preparing students for their future in the contemporary workplace.

PATHWAYS TO COMPLETION

The college’s “Pathways to Completion” framework promotes recruitment, achievement and retention for its diverse student body with a significant population of lowincome, first-generation, minority and women students. It conceives of the student experience in stages: drawing them in by creating a sense of connection and belonging, supporting their development in required gateway classes to focused academic studies and supporting them through completion.

The college and the architects organized a process encouraging students, faculty and staff to contribute to the design of environments nurturing students’ sense of belonging, critical thinking and lifelong learning.

More than 100 regular contributors including students, administrators, faculty and staff participated. Students were compensated for their involvement to acknowledge the value of their time and wisdom.

CONNECTION AND BELONGING

The building takes advantage of its location to create connections and a sense of belonging. The asymmetrical arms of its classroom wings orient the CILE’s entry plaza and active student spaces diagonally towards the central campus quad and Mt. Rainier. Rain gardens around the open space and building create a campus oasis, inviting people to stop and linger at wood benches in the plaza and outdoor classroom. A sheltering roof over the lobby and second floor student gathering space welcomes people, connecting indoor and outdoor spaces.

Informal Gathering and Study Spaces
Student gathering and study spaces are located to take advantage of daylight and views on the east and west ends of the building, creating biophilic connections that promote relaxation, inspiration and sense of place.

On the east, active gathering and study spaces look out over the entry plaza, raingardens and the central campus quadrangle towards Mt. Rainier. The main stair with its monumental wood treads connects all three levels of the building with mountain views at every landing.

On the west, quiet individual and group study spaces view into a preserved stand of conifers that provide solar shading. A second stair rises on this side, completing a circulation loop that connects the student spaces on both ends of the building.

Student/Faculty Neighborhoods
Forty-five faculty offices are distributed into suites that flank the individual and group study spaces on the west side of the building, creating student/faculty neighborhoods that foster engagement and enable teachers and learners to work together outside the classroom.

ACADEMIC JOURNEY

Sixteen learning environments providing space and technology to serve multiple learning styles are located in the asymmetrical wings that flank the student study areas.

The Learning Studio, a gateway to self-directed learning, flows seamlessly from the lobby. The multi-purpose space is a bridge between curricular and creative activities, providing resources to support student agency, enabling learners to make choices about what and how they learn. It promotes success for historically underachieving low income, first-generation and minority students.

Technology-enhanced labs and classrooms are designed for evolving, innovative pedagogies and emerging practices. Project-based learning environments include fixed work pods for six people with flat screen display and writable surfaces supporting collaborative teamwork, which prepares students for careers.

EXPRESSION

CILE’s expression reflects its parti. Variegated concrete block walls with punched openings enclose classrooms, labs and offices. Vertically proportioned windows bring daylight deep into these spaces. The masonry walls part at the student spaces in the east and west of the building, giving way to curtainwall and metal panels that create transparency at the public spaces and are articulated by wood ceilings inside and out.

The interior palette is inspired by the plant life zones of Mt. Rainier: forest, wildflower meadows and alpine. Rich accent colors combined with native wood ceilings contribute to the warm, welcoming character of the building and support wayfinding. Environmental graphics of trees and vegetation related to each plant zone emphasize the storyline.

STEWARDSHIP

Visible sustainable design strategies and interpretive displays around the site and in student gathering spaces identify the college’s commitment to environmental stewardship. A sustainability dashboard provides real time data on photovoltaic (PV) energy generation and water savings.

Coast Salish Peoples and Salmon-Safe
Native plants selected for their adaptability to a changing Pacific Northwest climate provide habitat and food sources for local fauna. The gardens feature plants important to Coast Salish Peoples, acknowledging their inhabitation and stewardship of these lands. Interpretive signage illustrates and describes the systems, plantings and cultural heritage.

Visible stormwater outflow from roofs and paved areas drains into rain gardens that surround and embrace the building. Native plantings in the gardens slow the water and remove pollutants, mitigating downstream impacts on salmon in the Chambers-Clover Creek Watershed and achieving Salmon-Safe certification.

Carbon Footprint Reduction
The rooftop 80kW PV array reduces annual energy use by 20%. Optimized daylighting enhances visual comfort and reduces electric lighting demand. The exterior envelope exceeds Passive House air infiltration standards achieving 0.053 CFM at 75 Pascals and 0.33 ACH at 50 Pascals blower door test results.

Responsible product sourcing for materials prioritized sustainable, recycled and low embodied carbon products to reduce carbon emissions.

Trees impacted by construction were reused to retain carbon. Large trees were segmented and set in the landscape as nurse logs and smaller tree material were turned into mulch to provide nutrients for new native plant life. New plantings sequester 10% more carbon than the prior vegetation.