Highline Medical Center has opened a new $38 million, 75,000-square-foot building on its main campus in Burien, Washington, that houses a state-of-the-art Emergency Department and Patient Care Unit in order to meet the healthcare needs of the growing region. NAC|Architecture designed the three-story Birch Wing, an addition to the existing hospital, to support a future vertical expansion of three additional floors.

The Birch Wing houses a 27,000-square-foot Emergency Department on the main floor; a 21,500-square-foot, 31-bed Patient Care Unit for medical and cancer patients on the second floor; and a 27,000-square-foot parking garage on the lower level. Designed to be converted to Laboratory and Imaging departments in the future, the parking garage features a public elevator with direct, 24-hour connection to the Emergency Department above. The Emergency Department contains 32 private exam/treatment rooms, including two major-trauma response rooms. The Patient Care Unit has 21 private rooms and five semi-private rooms as well as generously proportioned family activity and waiting areas.

Originally conceived six years ago in the master plan NAC|Architecture completed for Highline Medical Center, the Birch Wing project generated significant support among community members, resulting in a successful fundraising campaign. NAC|Architecture has designed many other projects for Highline Medical Center, including the Cedar Wing addition, and the Medical Pavilion and Cancer Care Center.

Glacier Peak High School in Snohomish, Washington, is the recipient of an American School & University Educational Interiors Showcase Gold Citation for Cafeterias/Food-Service Areas. Describing the only K-12 school to win a Gold Citation, the jury, composed of school administrators and AIA-member architects, noted that the design of the cafeteria/commons space featured “exceptional siting with dramatic views. The space is innovative and flexible, filled with sustainable design features.”

The annual Educational Interiors Showcase Awards honor education interior design excellence at the K-12 and higher-education levels.

The American Institute of Architects Washington Council presented Civic Design Awards to two NAC|Architecture projects: the Cathcart Site in Snohomish, Washington, secured a Merit Award and Eastgate Elementary School in Bellevue, Washington, earned a Citation Award. Comprising Glacier Peak High School and Little Cedars Elementary School, the Cathcart Site is a master-planned site for Snohomish School District.

The annual Civic Design Awards program identifies public projects that are hallmarks of civic design. Civic projects earn the Merit Award by exemplifying their particular type of civic space, and the Citation Award is an acknowledgment of quality design based on individual reasons.

The American Institute of Architects Committee on Architecture for Education (AIA CAE) has presented the Cathcart Site with an Award of Excellence for exceptional design, the top honor bestowed by the organization. Comprising Glacier Peak High School and Little Cedars Elementary School, the Cathcart Site is a master-planned site for Snohomish School District in Washington state. In addition to creating the master plan, NAC|Architecture designed Glacier Peak High School and Little Cedars Elementary School, recipient of a Learning By Design Citation of Excellence.

The AIA CAE Educational Facility Design Awards Program annually honors excellence in educational and cultural facilities. While showcasing and celebrating exemplary architecture for education, the program also identifies trends and emerging ideas and disseminates the best ideas and knowledge about educational facility planning and design to clients, architects and the public.

The National School Boards Association (NSBA) has awarded a citation to Eastgate Elementary School in Bellevue, Washington. The project was exhibited at the NSBA annual convention in Chicago in April.

The NSBA noted that “the jury felt that this design supports education on many levels. The building and the outdoor learning environments it creates on a tight urban site are pleasantly and residentially scaled, making the campus particularly inviting. The interior and exterior appear to flow seamlessly together, encouraging active use of the formal and informal interior learning environments as well as three outdoor classrooms with many seating and landscape features that reinforce the curriculum. Inside, the small scale of the school is further reinforced through the creation of small, grade-level neighborhoods and the classrooms feature generous natural light. Finally, the materials of the building are warm and nicely detailed, further enhancing the daily experience of the students and faculty."