Hazel Wolf School is DJC’s 2016 Building of the Year

This article was originally published in the Daily Journal of Commerce on March 3, 2017.
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The votes are in and DJC readers picked Hazel Wolf K-8 School as the 2016 Building of the Year. Runners-up were the Pierce County Readiness Center and Spokane Teaching Health Clinic. Honorable mentions to 200 Occidental, Marion West and Midtown 21.

The $39.2 million school is in the Pinehurst neighborhood of North Seattle, at 11530 12th Ave. N.E. It has 83,000 square feet of space for up to 680 STEM students, and integrates with its 3.2-acre site to create an indoor/outdoor learning lab, with a living wall in the main entry, green roofs and terraces. The curriculum is based on environmental learning.

The central courtyard has several teaching areas focused on plantings and stormwater management, including a constructed wetland. The courtyard extends up and over the administration area and art room to create more space for outdoor learning.

A botanical garden provides an outdoor laboratory, while a living wall at the main entry displays the school’s mission to the community.

“Hazel Wolf was a perfect synergy of a can-do user group embracing the challenge of a small urban site and finding creative ways to engage their unique environmental STEM program,” said Boris Srdar of NAC Architecture. “It was a true pleasure to be a part of the design process in the re-imagining of their needs.”

More info here.