Bellingham Public Schools created design precepts to ensure that their new Administrative Offices embodied the community’s educational investment. To that end, RMC spent time engaging with the District’s executive team and staff prior to design to discover what kinds of spaces would best serve the public.

To promote collaboration and a more mobile work environment, the District chose to reduce the number of offices in the new building and move to a laptop/cell phone business model where employees could move about the building and even work outdoors on nice days.

Meeting both Washington Sustainable Schools Protocol (WSSP) and Fitwel standards were key component of the project. In addition to the sustainable design features required by both organizations, some of the Fitwel categories are based on walkscore, views, stairs as an option to elevators, and access to alternate forms of transportation, all criteria that the new Administrative Offices meet.

The design brings in daylight by locating all collaboration spaces close to exterior walls. For those employees who do require offices, glass walls allow for borrowed light from the open office. By keeping the building footprint narrow, natural light easily penetrates deep into the interior spaces. Located opposite the workspaces is the Early Learning Center (ELC) consisting of two classrooms and a play yard that connects to an interpretive cutting garden for the kids.

To honor the community, the heart of the building near the main entry was designed to be warm and inviting with a coffee bar, comfortable seating, a children’s art display from the ELC, and the reception area to greet visitors. The space is infused with natural light through clerestory windows. Interior finishes of exposed regional, cross-laminated timber (CLT) provide warmth within the space in addition to reducing the carbon footprint of the building.

Both levels have professional training spaces for offsite employees that consist of large conference rooms that can be divided by acoustic pocket doors to adapt to a variety of functions. A roof deck, adjacent to the training center is oriented towards the south and southwest to take full advantage of the sun and warmth. The roof deck can be used for a variety of District functions and community events.

The development of the former Aloha Motel site on Samish Way was part of the City of Bellingham’s vision to transform this austere section of the neighborhood into an urban village. An urban village’s primary goal is to become less automobile focused by adding residential and mixed-use buildings, green spaces, and other features that accommodate pedestrians and bicycles. In 2017, Bellingham Housing Authority (BHA) purchased the site and hired RMC to help them make this vision into a reality.

The project has a total of 171 affordable apartment units over three buildings, including a building for seniors and one for families. There is also 11,000 square feet of commercial space for BHA’s new office and a forthcoming early learning childcare center.

The three-bedroom townhomes with private courtyards were placed to lend an approachable, street-friendly appeal. The spacious entry to the adjacent main building provides a warm greeting to residents and is composed of a place for mail and a living room, encouraging neighborly conversations. A vertical glass tower brings daylight into all four floors of the building and illuminates the open stairs that link them, while visually connecting the main floor spaces. Siting the building to meet the street provided an opportunity to shield the parking structure by wrapping the building around it, adhering to urban village goals.

Residential interiors meet a tight budget without sacrificing aesthetics. Oversized windows bring in natural light, provide generous views, and give the rooms a spacious feel. The project meets Evergreen Sustainable Development Standards for health and safety, durability, sustainable living, and energy and water efficiency.

BHA’s new office building wraps around the triangular site, bridging the housing and commercial spaces. A well-lit, double height entry flanked by glazing gives a public face and presence to BHA’s new home. The Cross-laminated Timber (CLT) structure, topped by a roof garden, consists of an open office floor plan in addition to private, executive offices and meeting rooms on both levels.

For the seven-story Senior Housing building, commercial and community spaces make up the first two floors. A spacious, double-height lobby with large, human scale windows lends an open, cheerful vibe to the space and reinforces the connection between residents and the neighborhood.

A large conference room, small conference room, and fitness and computer room are also located on the first floor. A space allocated for BHA’s future office expansion is on the second floor, with the one- and two-bedroom residential units beginning on the third floor. A light-filled common area lounge greets seniors and offers views of the podium courtyard, as well as access to the outdoor space.

The five-story Family Housing building’s grand entry with a vertical glass tower encourages integration between the interior and exterior spaces. The kitchen in the community room on the first floor offers opportunities for residents to have larger family functions, birthday parties, and other celebrations. The space opens directly to the courtyard, with picnic tables and barbecues available for outdoor parties.