Seattle, Washington, USA
Located in Seattle, the University of Washington’s North Campus Housing complex, designed by KieranTimberlake Associates and Graham Baba Architects, is not just a dormitory structure but is intended to accommodate a community of two thousand students.
The complex, which consists of four buildings and is LEED Gold certified, is much more than a simple student residence, however.
It’s a place to meet, talk, eat, sleep, spend free time, and learn according to a multidisciplinary program.
The project has been awarded an Honorable Mention at the 2023 American Architecture Awards from The Chicago Athenaeum and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design and Urban Studies.
The buildings that make up the North Campus Housing complex – McCarty Hall, Madrona Hall, Oak Hall, and Willow Hall – establish a continuity with the buildings of the historic campus, acting as a link between various existing areas.
Oak Hall, in particular, continues along the axis of Frederick Law Olmsted’s original masterplan, now extended to the new Town Square, the fulcrum of KieranTimberlake’s project, around which the various blocks of residences are arranged in a radial pattern.
Landscaping plays a key role in the project, as explained by David Feaster, principal at KieranTimberlake:
The buildings were designed with the landscape and to navigate a very complex sloping site, while providing wheelchair accessibility to all spaces within all buildings.
Green areas are intended to be occupied, while also creating views of nature from the interior social spaces aggregated at the ground levels. Native plantings aim to maintain and restore the site’s natural ecosystem as much as possible.
Project: University of Washington North Campus Housing
Architects: KieranTimberlake Associates LLP.
Associate Architects: Graham Baba Architects
General Contractor: W.G. Clark Construction Co.
Client: University of Washington
Photographers: Bruce Damonte and Matthew Millman