Two Schools
Seattle
Award of Merit
Owner: Giddens School & Lake Washington Girls Middle School
Lead Design Firm: Graham Baba Architects & Anjali Grant Design
Contractor: Exxel Pacific Inc.
Civil/MEP Engineer/Mechanical Engineer: Ecotope Inc.
Structural Engineer: KPFF
Subcontractors: Stively Commercial Coatings; Anjali Grant Design LLC; Graham Baba Architects; Deeny Construction Co.; Emerald Glass Co.; Final Touch Contracting; Inland Waterproofing Services Inc.; Rhine Demolition LLC; Smith Fire Systems Inc.; Technical Waterproofing Inc.
A three-story, 52,500-sq-ft school creates separate classrooms and administrative spaces for Giddens School and Lake Washington Girls Middle School while crafting shared common spaces such as a lunchroom, offices, gymnasium, stage and rooftop playing field.
The $19.6-million project allowed two independent private schools to colocate on the urban campus, maintaining each school’s identity while creating opportunities for shared experiences and design efficiencies. The schools have their own character on the exterior but meet in the center with shared program spaces.
Using structural steel with exposed ceilings in most classrooms and common spaces required extensive MEP coordination to conceal major parts of the systems behind the limited ceiling spaces. It also created a tricky situation for the drywall subcontractor to maintain a clean appearance while maintaining acoustic integrity.
