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Higher Education Projects:
Osborne Center for Science & Engineering
, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, Colorado: 2010 Bronze Hard Hat Award for Architectural Design, Mountain States Construction; 2009 Sustainable Design Award, CoBIZ Magazine; 2009 First Place Institutional Building Award, Colorado Renewable Energy Society; Recipient of two energy awards, the Osborne Center for Science & Engineering exemplifies a flexible, collaborative, and interdisciplinary environment dedicated to sustainable design and its advancement. Its purpose is twofold: serve the University’s research/academic needs and function as a community resource to stimulate interest in science, engineering, and technology among schoolchildren and other visitors. The building brings together the departments of biology, physics, and mechanical and aerospace engineering, and also the Institute for Science and Space Studies and the CU Institute for Bioenergetics into a single facility. Throughout the building, strict sustainability guidelines informed and shaped the design. The project incorporated features to reduce energy consumption and annual operating costs, such as highly insulated wall/roof systems, a thin film 16.2kw photovoltaic system on the roof, high performance glass, and sunscreens to manage sunlight and heat gain. And while the floor plate profile maximizes interior daylighting, each elevation was also studied for interior function, campus context, and solar orientation. The result is a building 31% more energy efficient than ASHRAE 90.1 base building.
sn-w'ey'-mn Building
, Spokane Falls Community College, Spokane, Washington: LEED Gold Certification; Replacing three 1967 buildings on the Spokane Falls Community College campus, this new 70,000-square-foot, three-story structure features two wings - each housing a separate department - connected by a three-story atrium lobby space. Destined to become a landmark building, this business and social science building is designed as a contemporary interpretation of the existing campus architecture that celebrates progressive teaching and modern technology while fitting into the context of the campus. To promote the inclusion of features that minimize environmental impact and maximize energy efficiency, the facility is LEED Gold certified by the USGBC. With the input of project stakeholders, sustainable concepts - including daylighting, energy efficiency, site conservation and natural ventilation - have been carefully explored and thoughtfully integrated into the design; sn-w'ey'-mn is a Native American word in the Salish language that means a trading place for knowledge, materials, trades and commercial goods. The major artwork of the building is focused on the theme of commerce, tying together the two departments that will be housed in the building: Social Sciences and Business. Commerce was a mainstay of the regional tribes who traded extensively among themselves and with the coastal tribes. This naming recognizes the importance of commerce as it existed for thousands of years among regional tribes.
Academic Instructional Center
, Western Washington University, Bellingham, Washington: 2009 Civic Design Honor Award, American Institute of Architects (AIA) Washington Council; Designed to accommodate the consolidation and growth of the Communications Sciences and Disorders (CSD) and Psychology Departments, and also provide sorely needed general classrooms, the new Academic Instructional Center (AIC) is a 126,000-square-foot building with 725 classroom seats. The AIC will create appropriate spaces and convenient locations for public clinics run by the CSD and Psychology Departments and visited by on- and off-campus users. The AIC's location just south of the Communications Facility defines the southeast edge of the new South Quad and becomes a gateway building for the WWU campus. Designed in two sections, the building creates a central covered passageway that will allow students to walk between portions of the building as they enter the campus. The three-story western portion is low in scale to relate to the new diagonal walkway created for the campus, while the mass of the eastern building's five stories is diminished by its position and location. The two sections of the building are connected by a bridge that will also provide informal study areas for students. A collaborative center in the eastern portion features multiple computer ports and allows for Wi-Fi access as students lounge and study. Led by NAC|Architecture, the Academic Instructional Center team includes design architect opsis architecture.
Medical Education Building
, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Aurora, Colorado: A new facility for changing teaching methodologies, Education 1 - the Medical Education Building - was the first facility on the new Education Zone of this relocated health sciences research and education campus. Students from the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Dentistry, Pharmacy and Graduate programs are integrated in an environment that expresses the University`s interdisciplinary teaching/learning goals. Large lecture halls open onto large communal areas to encourage interaction. Flexible group areas are scattered in the five-story building for opportunities to engage in spontaneous discussions and group-learning or for more private functions. The east side of the building faces the park-like Educational Commons. That facade is glazed to draw light into the building and offer a more transparent, noteworthy, and accessible presence to users relaxing or strolling along this internal park.
Academic Center, Washington State University
, Spokane, Washington: The 106,000-square-foot Academic Center, which is the centerpiece of the campus, houses student services, other student activities, the library, administrative offices, conference facilities, program incubator spaces, tiered lecture facilities, distance learning classrooms, computer labs and numerous academic departments. Beyond providing replacement space for programs previously occupying leased or temporary space, the Academic Center provides area for new programs, expansion of programs offered at the Riverpoint Campus, and space for programs relocated from WSU in Pullman. Convenience, collaboration, cooperation, and resource-sharing opportunities are fostered by the appropriate consolidation of functions within the Academic Center. As part of the predesign service, the entire campus master plan was also updated. The Academic Center is one of the first buildings designed to address the governor's focus on sustainability by state facilities. Led by NAC|Architecture, the Academic Center team included associated architect THA Architecture.
Science and Mathematics Building
, Spokane Community College, Spokane, Washington: Spokane Community College's new Science and Mathematics Building acts as a new campus entrance, introducing a contemporary building aesthetic designed in concert with the campus master plan being developed by SCC under NAC|Architecture's leadership. The 65,268-square-foot building - created via NAC|Architecture's collaborative design process - was conceived as three distinct elements: an office tower; a classroom/lab block; and a three-story, light-filled atrium lobby. Constructed at a cost of $10.8 million, the building houses SCC's Science and Mathematics departments. As a result of the project coming in nearly $1 million under budget, the college was able to re-build a soccer field adjacent to the building, replacing the field displaced by the new structure. The building is organized vertically by departments with nine math classrooms, math offices, and a computer lab on the first floor; the life sciences and associated faculty offices on the second floor; and the physical sciences with their requisite classrooms on the third floor. The science space will feature 13 laboratories, including a 1,600-square-foot biotechnology lab. Sustainable design principles were applied to the project, balancing first-cost budget realities, life-cycle cost analysis, and environmentally conscious design. Daylighting, energy efficiency, site conservation and natural ventilation were among the sustainable concepts integrated in the design.
Edward R. Murrow School of Communication
, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington: Envisioned as a new landmark building for the nationally recognized School of Communication, the 26,000-square-foot expansion of the school establishes a strong connection to the historic campus context through generous use of rich, traditional brick patterning and deeply inset windows. At the same time, the building expresses its technological orientation through careful articulation of contemporary glass and aluminum panels on the west facade, creating a visual transparency that accents the warmth of the maple-paneled interior student gathering spaces. The facility offers spacious, inviting lobbies; a host of offices and support spaces; computer labs; television editing and broadcast facilities; conference rooms; and a suite of research lab spaces. Sophisticated equipment in the interview labs, focus lab, and psycho-physiological lab supports research on human psychological and physiological responses to various communication media. To efficiently accommodate future technological upgrades, an extensive horizontal cable distribution system was incorporated into the construction, allowing flexible permutations of the floor plan arrangement. Led by NAC|Architecture, the School of Communication Addition team included associated architect opsis architecture.
Kenneth King Performing Arts Center
, Auraria Higher Education Center, Denver, Colorado: 2002 Merit Award, United States Institute for Theater Technology; The King Center brings together three separate educational institutions to teach, learn, and appreciate the performing arts. The building accommodates 39 classrooms, 150 faculty offices, seven performance venues, and support spaces. Each institution “owns” one dedicated production studio and shares all other spaces within the building. The design program supports, illustrates, and builds upon multi-institutional and multi-disciplinary collaboration in several ways. An informal indoor street serving various performance venues replaces the typical formal lobby. The building design puts “backstage” functions into full view of the campus, illuminating and dramatizing the creative process behind each performance. The scene shop and paint shop are visible from the exterior. The costume shop and design studio are visible from the “main street” lobby. The 185,000 square foot building includes a 550 seat Concert Hall, 350 seat Courtyard Theatre, 200 seat Recital Hall, and 75 seat Electronic Music Studio. It is shared by the University of Colorado at Denver, Metropolitan State College of Denver, and Community College of Denver.
Student Recreation Center
, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho; 2002 Award of Merit, American Institute of Architects (AIA)/Spokane; 2002 Citation Award, AIA/Idaho; NAC|Architecture envisioned the University of Idaho's Student Recreation Center as a recreational village whose rugged, angular exterior mirrors the region's landscape. The 84,000-square-foot facility houses a central two-story atrium/lounge; cafe; two multi-court basketball/volleyball gymnasiums; a multipurpose activity court (MAC); a suspended indoor jogging track; multipurpose/aerobics rooms; and a climbing area with a 55-foot free-form pinnacle, and bouldering and top-rope climbing walls. Other amenities include cardiovascular fitness and weight-training areas, health and fitness testing labs, locker rooms, program offices, administrative offices and storage. In addition to accommodating indoor activities, the center is also home to a nationally recognized outdoor recreation program. All key activity areas are visible from the main entryway, allowing staff to conveniently observe these spaces. The building's innovative design and pivotal location – in the heart of an area slated to become the campus's residential center – underscore the university's focus on healthy living, and enhance student and faculty recruitment and retention. Interior design elements – such as an exposed branch-like wood roof structure, a gallery of clerestory windows, and a concrete floor stamped and colored to emulate a forest floor – extend the area's natural environment indoors and validate the university's commitment to sustainability.
Advanced Technology & Education Park
, South Orange County Community College District, Tustin, California; The Advanced Technology and Education Park was conceived as an educational oasis. Its street-side elevations speak to the future while the courtyard, with its arcades, fountain, muted walls and sensitive landscape, brings a nearness and sense of balance to the campus. The courtyard was designed so that students can have a variety of spaces in which to relax. Many container plantings with adjacent benches encourage individual students to rest or read and small groups of students to gather. A vibrant yellow arcade shades the outdoor patio next to the café, which will draw together larger groups of students.
Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Building
, University of Arizona , Tucson, Arizona: 1997 Honor Award, American Institute of Architects/Colorado; The Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering Building is designed to respect the traditions of the original buildings at the University of Arizona. This is achieved through scale and placement of buildings on the site, their organization around a traditional Tucson courtyard, and the use of campus materials and landscape. It is also very contemporary in its use of open-ended planning, modern systems and materials, and in its formal composition. The aerodynamic forms of the building are shaped to channel ambient breezes through the central courtyard and to identify the place with the work of its occupants. The materiality and craft of engineering is expressed in the technical fittings and fastenings throughout the building. The design celebrates the bolts, turnbuckles, cable clamps, locknuts, hinges, and swivel rings which hold the building together. Lightweight cable supported bridges employing aircraft technology span the courtyard. The courtyard design follows the ecological model inspired by the character of the natural landscape. An outdoor cafe with tables, umbrellas, and shade trees is enhanced by upper level offices with French doors and balconies.
Animal Disease Biotechnology Facility
, Washington State University, Pullman, Washington: 2001 Robert Fraser Excellence in Masonry Design Award, Masonry Industry Promotion Group; 2000 Award of Merit, AIA/Spokane; 1994 First Place, Rendered Image, AUTODESK; This research facility was constructed to investigate disease mechanisms at the cellular and molecular levels by the College of Veterinary Medicine and USDA scientists. The 86,000-square-foot facility is closely integrated with the existing Bustad Hall research facility and veterinary teaching hospital completed in 1996. The facility includes over 50 labs and supporting spaces, including a vivarium with 20 animal rooms, a technology transfer unit, environmentally controlled rooms, chemical and radiation waste handling spaces, and over 80 offices and supporting administrative spaces.
LASP Space Technology Research Center Addition
, University of Colorado Research Park, Boulder, Colorado: This building is an addition to a building designed by NAC in 1990. It provides additional laboratory, office, and clean room facilities for the design, fabrication, and testing of space instruments by the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics. The previous LASP building was the first building designed for the University of Colorado Research Park. It was a contemporary interpretation of Boulder main campus architecture. For this building, the University requested a more literal interpretation with direct references to the historic campus, but at the same time referencing and being compatible with the existing LASP building. By incorporating details and materials of the existing building, with a direct reference to the main campus in building massing, both goals were achieved. The project was designed for LEED certification. Responsibilities included programming, master planning, and full service design and management.
Cheney Cowles Library
, Whitworth University, Spokane, Washington: The second addition and complete remodeling of this centerpiece building includes 25,000 square feet of new space added to the existing 27,800 square feet for a total of 52,800 square feet. This building houses a traditional academic library, research facilities, archives, archival reading room, education curriculum library, audio-visual department, academic computing with two micro-labs, word processing, and administrative computing for the campus.
Results:
Higher Education
Student Housing
K-12 Schools
Healthcare
Dental and Orthodontic Design
Residential|Continuing Care Communities
Commercial|Hospitality
Civic|Public
Recreation|Community
Restoration|Preservation
On the Boards
Sustainability
Higher Education Projects
: sun control envelope, optimizing energy performance
Student Housing
: Eco-living, energy savings
K-12 School Projects
: displacement ventilation, daylighting
Healthcare Projects
: green roof, natural environment, sustainable wood products
Dental and Orthodontic Design
: client preference, budget
Residential | Continuing Care Communities
: energy savings, minimizing site disturbance
Commercial Projects
: daylight harvesting
Civic | Public
: adaptive reuse
Recreation | Community Projects
: natural daylighting, waste reduction, thermal envelope
Restoration | Preservation Projects
: daylighting, high-content recycled and locally procured material, building and material reuse
On-the-Boards
: energy conservation, natural setting, daylighting
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We have offices located in Seattle and Spokane, Washington; Los Angeles, California; Denver, Colorado.
Contact Us
Seattle Office
2025 1st Ave Ste 300
Seattle, Washington 98121
phone: 206-441-4522
fax: 206-441-7917
Los Angeles Office
3951 Medford St
Los Angeles, California 90063-1608
phone: 323-859-3100
fax: 323-859-3110
Spokane Office
1203 W Riverside Ave
Spokane, Washington 98021-1107
phone: 509-838-8240
fax: 509-838-8261
Denver Office
1600 Broadway, Suite 1600
Denver, Colorado 80202-4916
phone: 720-335-6248
fax: 720-294-3465
