Timberline Middle School has been recognized with a Merit Award by the 2021 AIA Southwest Washington Chapter (AIA SWW) Honor Awards Program. This program recognizes and supports the design community and their clients who strive for excellence in the design and performance of their projects.

This 134,500 SF building for the Lake Washington School District was constructed on an undeveloped 21-acre parcel adjacent to a regional wetland/wildlife. With some of the site still densely wooded, the goal was to design a 900-student school to the district’s contemporary learning environment standards and integrate with the ecology of the site and its surroundings —preserving and restoring a third of the woodlands, enhancing connections to the water ecology, and incorporating as a focus in the learning experience.

The project incorporated existing bicycle paths, minimized new development by utilizing an existing public park for fields, and retained or restored forest habitat. Interpretive signage across the site teaches students and community members about the ecosystems in their midst and the strategies that the project implemented to integrate with them. Habitats were retained or restored on the site with birds and insects in mind.

In awarding Timberline Middle School the Merit Award, the jury noted that, “Timberline Middle School demonstrates a thoughtful interweaving of landscape with architecture. The jury thoroughly appreciated this project and found three areas of particular strength; the sensitivity given to the site response, clarity of building organization, and the overall ecological commitment made.”

We thank the jury for their consideration and congratulate the other firms recognized for their work. Learn more about Timberline Middle School here.