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June 25, 2009

A heightened learning experience

By DAN KLUSMAN
MBA of King and Snohomish Counties

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Klusman

Next month, the Master Builders Association of King and Snohomish Counties will break ground on a third wet lab at the Mercer Slough Environmental Learning Center as part of the association’s centennial celebration. The project will be certified as Built Green 5-Star under pilot for light commercial construction, and will be donated to the learning center to help current and future students foster a connection with the natural world.

“The Master Builders Association is proud to be involved in this project as part of our centennial year celebration,” said Sam Anderson, MBA’s executive officer. “By investing in our community, as we have for the last 100 years, we are creating a legacy of learning for the next 100.”

The environmental center, a collaboration between the city of Bellevue and the Pacific Science Center, is located in the heart of urban Bellevue on a biologically diverse 320-acre wetland nature park. The center has two classroom buildings, a multipurpose building and a visitor center.

Photo courtesy of Jones & Jones Architects
Buildings at the environmental center are elevated into the tree canopy to provide a unique learning experience for visitors.

The buildings at the learning center are elevated into the tree canopy, as much as 30 feet above ground, providing a unique educational environment for visitors. Also home to Bellevue’s Department of Parks and Community Services, the center welcomes more than 300,000 people per year, including 150,000 students, and demonstrates how buildings can effectively be integrated into the natural environment.


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