Miller Hull Designs an Airy New Salvaged Center for the Technology Access Foundation in Seattle

The <a href="http://www.techaccess.org/">Technology Access Foundation’s</a> new technology drop-in center recently opened in White Center, Seattle thanks to the design team of <a href="http://www.millerhull.com/">Miller Hull</a> and <a href="http://www.publicarchitecture.org/">Public Architecture</a>. TAF is a grass-roots, non-profit organization that is championing the fight to provide science, technology, engineering and math education to students of color throughout Washington State. As of October 24, the LEED Gold-designed (soon to be certified) TAF technology center, which is located in Lakewood Park, will be providing White Center with a new community venue and a vehicle for a brighter future for local teens.

Caroline Kreiser, Miller Hull’s Project Manager, stated in an interview with Inhabitat that “local salvaged materials were important to the Client, because they wanted to draw on resources from the community they were serving”. This included all different types of exterior cladding.

Some of the materials acquired by the design team included floor beams and solid core doors, which were used for the entry-bridge and wall paneling, respectively.

The building's form relates to the function so well. The lower floors are open to the public for meeting and community activities - including TAF functions - and the upper floors are mostly office. These offices have some of the best views imaginable.

. “Open space in the park, including beautiful old oak trees, was given new light by placing this building in the park”, said Kreiser. Rain gardens and stormwater treatment developed from this project will even help to rejuvenate the lake at the center of the park.

The glazing for this building is a fun creative way of dealing with operable windows in full height window walls. These ornate panels within the structure of the building allow for at least one of the window panes to be operable for natural ventilation.

One can ultimately feel the transformation of the community as they walk across the entry bridge to this new chapter in King County’s Equality and Social Justice Agenda. The brige represents the symbolic gesture of crossing from one obstacle into this new venture. The park and this building represent so much to the community and the bridge allows for that grand gesture.

The office located on the upper floors have a clear floor plan and open up to a wall of glazing overlooking the park. This helps bring in natural daylight, which ultimately saves money and energy in artificial lighting.

Salvaged doors from neighboring demolition sites were cleaned up and used as wall paneling throughout the building. Other scrap pieces of material were brought in from nearby projects in Seattle to create intricate finishes around the building.