PACCAR Hall, Foster School of Business
University of Washington

Location

Seattle, Washington

Owner

University of Washington

Collaborators +

Project Size

New area: 135,000 square feet

Renovated area: 14,500 square feet

Project Status

Completed

Certifications

Certified LEED New Construction Gold

Services

Architecture, Interior Design, Planning

At the core of the PACCAR Hall, Foster School of Business is the concept of integrated communities, where the social environment, natural environment and campus context are embraced as interrelated influences in the architectural experience. The central atrium within the building works as a collector of community activity and the social heart of the school, perceptually as well as functionally. Common areas are organized as a series of interconnected spaces that function in many different combinations, from small groups to large gatherings, encompassing a full spectrum of informal student activities, regular programs, and special events.

The design responds to the program’s strong emphasis on social connectivity and its active central campus site with a high degree of porosity—in terms of both visual and functional relationships. A four-story, daylit atrium runs the entire length of PACCAR Hall. Multiple entrances are knitted into the pedestrian flow of the campus, with views, topography and landscape embraced as integrated elements in the architectural experience. The exterior expression is a direct response to the functional needs of modern business education and environmental influences, while responding to adjacent historic campus buildings with compatible materiality, scale, and proportion.