/ Machias Elementary School

Snohomish, WA

/ Machias Elementary School

Snohomish, WA

Designed to reflect the surrounding rural environment, the new school incorporates a “salmon shaped” design and a strong focus on sustainability. Our firm provided structural and civil design services on the two-story steel-framed building, which features three wings connected by a curved gallery. Structurally, we salvaged crushed concrete from the original school’s demolition and arched glulam roof beams from the gymnasium and used them as columns in the library and the main corridors. Creating outdoor learning spaces through sustainable site features was another important aspect of the project. We incorporated six rain gardens located around the school to infiltrate 100% of all stormwater back into the soil. An accelerated schedule required early steel procurement and expedited site design.