Project Details
- Project Name
- Multicultural Center
- Location
- WA
- Architect
- Opsis Architecture
- Client/Owner
- Western Washington University
- Project Scope
- Renovation/Remodel
- Size
- 31,100 sq. feet
- Year Completed
- 2019
- Shared by
- Opsis Architecture
- Team
-
Jim Kalvelage, Partner
John Shorb, Project Manager
Jeri Tess, Interior Designer
Sam Loeung, Architect
- Consultants
- Architect of Record: RMC Architects
- Project Status
- Built
Project Description
The Multicultural Center is a transformational project and new home for the campus ethnic student groups located prominently above the renovated bookstore. Conceived as a sculptural bronze object articulated with a woven skin comprised of profiled metal panel with inserted Z-strips which levitate within the sunscreen. The resulting textured metal façade alludes to the weaving traditions of the local Salish Tribes and “cultural fabric” of the ethnically and culturally diverse student groups. Connecting three buildings, the addition creates a cohesive student union bridging old and new with a welcoming entrance, display of student life activity spaces, and a new mass plywood stair that links lower level student programs to the elevated Multicultural Center.