Fora Landscape Architects

Collaborating with staff, teachers, and the community, the James Baldwin Elementary team reimagined what a school could be when it puts equity at the forefront for its diverse and vulnerable students. Read the full story in the Daily Journal of Commerce: https://lnkd.in/gCver7vh #k12architecture #learningenvironments #equity Team: Seattle Public Schools Coughlin Porter Lundeen Fora Landscape Architects Hargis Engineers Photography by Benjamin Benschneider

Westlake Consulting Group proudly supported STERLING REALTY ORGANIZATION, CO. (SRO) with the Symetra Center Lobby and Plaza repositioning in Bellevue. SRO’s vision for the Symetra Center was very intentional in creating modern and inviting exterior and interior spaces for their tenants and the surrounding community. The recently completed 55,000-sf renovation of both the ground floor and plaza includes hospitality amenities including Café Hagen, a Scandinavian café. Westlake Consulting Group served as construction manager in collaboration with a high performing team that included CollinsWoerman (Building Envelope & Plaza architect), Grayscale Design Studio (Interiors & Cafe designer), Turner Construction Company (General Contractor), DCI Engineers (Structural) and Fora Landscape Architects (Landscape). Following are some recent links that further highlight this impressive project: https://lnkd.in/g6axG4eV https://lnkd.in/gtQeubqv https://lnkd.in/dG9gEFrK

🏫🎒 Tuesday, September 3 was an extra special day at our District Office as it marked the debut of our new Early Learning Center! 📅 The inaugural day of childcare at the Early Learning Center coincided with the start of the new school year. The new District Office, funded by voter-supported bonds in 2013 and 2022, opened back in March 2024. Preschool students (ages 3 & 4) attend the ELC. BPS staff provide teaching and childcare. Students served include those whose families qualify for ECEAP (Early Childhood Education Assistance Program) and children of BPS staff members, along with children of teen parents who have graduated from the Graduation, Reality And Dual-role Skills (GRADS) program within the district. The ELC is made possible by community support of school bonds and a state grant. We are so appreciative of our community’s support and the ability to include these two preschool classrooms and early learning spaces as part of the District Office to serve children. #bhamschools #bhampromise

Triumphant endings and exciting beginnings over at Fora... Alyssia, our 2024 Summer Intern, is racing toward her project finish lines and towards the academic school year at the University of Washington where she is pursuing a BLA. A Brooklynite with a keen interest in stormwater and sensory design, Alyssia is inspired by creating healing landscapes that are accessible and inclusive. She was drawn to study landscape architecture through her love of art, creative problem-solving, and abstract thinking. She has been immeasurably helpful to our carbon footprint and inclusive play projects and we adored having her this summer. We are also excited to welcome a new face! Josie joins us from the hickory-filled hills of middle Tennessee. With both a Bachelor's of Architecture and a Master's of Landscape Architecture, Josie offers an important perspective that bridges architecture and landscape. Josie researched how North American Indigenous architects respond to their environment and climate, an important subject to many of us at Fora. She is an avid gardener and loves all things outdoors. Welcome to the office, Josie!

Keeping the dust down on these hot and dry days at Smokey Point Community Park! Phase 1 is looking great... Over the past few weeks, the team has achieved some fantastic milestones: the monument stairs are in, the seating walls have been poured, the concrete paving on the plaza is complete, and the stage is going up. Lots of exciting stuff happening! Owner: City of Arlington, Washington Project Management: Rock Project Management Services LA: Fora Landscape Architects Civil: Jacobson Consulting Engineers Architect: Dykeman Architects Structural: Seattle Structural PS Inc MEP: Metrix Engineers Council Members: Mayor Barb Tolbert, Heather Logan, Don Vanney, Debora Nelson, Michele Blythe, Marilyn Oertle, Jan Schuette, Yvonne Gallardo

Ferndale School District recently held its ribbon cutting ceremony and open house for Ferndale High School at the end of May to celebrate the completion of a $98.5 million, multi-phase redevelopment of the school campus, the largest project in its history. The new Ferndale High School site design was thoughtfully developed to create a purposeful relationship between the new facilities and existing buildings, particularly the Performing Arts Center. New athletic facilities including a stadium building and track and field were developed between the new building and existing fast pitch/baseball fields, as well as a new greenhouse and facilities for aquaculture and agriculture sciences. The project team developed goals through the community engagement process to encourage connections to the natural environment and environmental stewardship, and to create compelling learning environments. Client: Ferndale School District No. 502 Architect: Dykeman Architects GC/CM: Cornerstone General Contractors, Inc. Construction Manager: Construction Services Group Civil: Freeland Harris Consulting Engineers Structural: Coughlin Porter Lundeen Landscape Architect: Fora Landscape Architects Electrical: Hargis Engineers Mechanical: Metrix Engineers

Oak Heights Elementary in the Edmonds School District had its ground breaking ceremony yesterday, much to the excitement of its school community. One of the five schools to be replaced thanks to the $700 million bond and levy package that passed thanks to voter approval with a 65% majority, the new Oak Heights Elementary School will consist of three linear, split-level buildings joined by covered outdoor walkways and a sky bridge with outdoor learning courtyards flowing between them - in line with the ‘park runs through it’ design concept. The commons, library, administration, stage, and gym are located central to the site and oriented towards Oak Road. The main entry plaza receives pedestrians from Oak Road and 18th Ave West, providing a strong central spine to the campus with site amenities including seating, bike parking, and lush plantings. The interior campus will be secure during school hours with portions open to the public after school hours. Outdoor amenities include: a multipurpose synthetic turf play field with activity course striping running around it; soft-surface play equipment with hillside slides, gaga pits, and nature play elements; hard-surface covered play with basketball courts, pickleball, and a labyrinth; outdoor amphitheater; and kindergarten trike track and secure play area. A priority for the outdoor learning courtyards and play areas was to make them inclusive. Specifically, we worked with the school’s OT/PT support program to design spaces that integrate play with therapeutic services. Aerial perspective rendering by Integrus Architecture Client: Edmonds School District GCCM: Spee West Construction Co Architect/Structural: INTEGRUS Landscape Architect: Fora Landscape Architects Civil: LPD Engineering PLLC Mechanical/Plumbing: Metrix Engineers Electrical: TFWB Engineers Inc.

Puesta del Sol Elementary in Bellevue received the 2024 A4LE Washington Chapter Merit Award at the annual A4LE Conference last weekend in Spokane. The first full-scale net-zero elementary school to be built in the state, Puesta del Sol provides an immersive Spanish language curriculum and is organized around the Teatro del Sol, a central multipurpose public space that extends out to become a covered outdoor learning connected to a large community garden, outdoor learning and play areas, and an amphitheater for outdoor performances. Both the building and the outdoor spaces were intentionally centered on a wetland restoration area that was formerly part of the old ball fields. The floorplan and outdoor amenities were designed to literally embrace the newly planted wetland, and the proposed elements like native planting and bioretention facilities elsewhere on the site are intended to further enhance the ecological value of the wetland restoration. The challenges associated with a tight site that has a large wetland in the center of it were utilized as potential design opportunities whenever possible. The difficulty of addressing the prerequisite grade change between the front and back of the building was reframed as a benefit and served the basis for the Teatro Plaza design with central learning stairs inspired by European examples like the Spanish Steps.  The restored wetland and buffer, in conjunction with the adjacent access trails, habitat structures, bioretention areas, and significant school garden space will facilitate a wide variety of opportunities for environmental education and serve as natural filtration areas providing pollutant removal, stormwater infiltration, and wildlife habitat. Congratulations to the project team! Photo: First image, Benjamin Benschneider, Second Image: Peter Tammetta, Kompan Owner: Bellevue School District Architect: Sierra-Martin Architects General Contractor: Spee West Construction Co Landscape Architect: Fora Landscape Architects Civil Engineer: LPD Engineering PLLC Structural Engineer: Coughlin Porter Lundeen

“Sometimes, just adding in something as simple as rainbow striping in a playground can help create an environment for students of all gender identities and orientations to understand that they are welcome.” We recently heard this at a staff design charrette meeting and completely agree! Happy Pride Month to our LGBTQIA+ community.

This week’s A4LE Washington Chapter Tour features Hilltop Heritage Elementary in the Renton School District. Featuring a mass timber system, Hilltop Heritage Elementary is a part of the school district’s effort to encourage sustainable construction strategies while providing beneficial learning environments that utilize natural daylight and materials to reduce stress and improve performance. Fora provided the full campus design including structured and nature-based play areas, courtyards, circulation, interpretive signage, and parking. The north side of the school campus is dedicated to play facilities, including a separate outdoor exploration area that includes a woodland trail, natural seating elements with logs and boulders, and native plantings. A courtyard between the north and south classroom wings is designed to enable outdoor learning opportunities and look onto preserved trees and the adjacent existing wetland area. Project Team: Client: Renton School District Architect: Hutteball + Oremus Architecture Landscape Architect: Fora Landscape Architects Civil: LPD Engineering PLLC Structural: Coughlin Porter Lundeen Mechanical: Metrix Engineers Electrical: Hargis Engineers GC/CM: Cornerstone General Contractors, Inc.