Architectural/ Decorative Concrete

Location: 2214 E. 13th St., Vancouver

Owner/developer: Washington State School for the Blind

Project team: Union Corner Construction, general contractor; Larusso Concrete, concrete contractor; Douglas R. Lee, landscape architect; Kramer Gehlen & Associates, structural engineer; Glacier Northwest, ready-mix supplier

Discovery Courtyard was created from a neglected outdoor space at the Washington State School for the Blind in Vancouver. It got its name from the variety of non-visual sensory items that were designed into the courtyard for visually impaired students.

The courtyard is an outdoor extension of an adjacent cafeteria and was built on top of a basement roof slab. It can be used for barbecues, student gatherings and special events.

There are two main areas of the courtyard, each stamped with an ashlar stone pattern. They are separated by an area of dark gray concrete stamped with a random stone pattern.

Stamped and colored concrete was used extensively in the courtyard.

The rectangular basement roof is disguised by the free-flowing arcs and curves in the plaza. High-strength concrete was poured in thicknesses between 2.88 and 6 inches to level the sloping roof.

Freestanding curvilinear walls with a cut stone pattern and contrasting smooth top were cast from a form liner. Animal tracks and leaf prints were embedded on the top of the walls as a sensory item for the blind.

A water feature with three basalt columns was built in the center of the main courtyard. The cascading water provides touch and audio experiences for students. River rock at the ground level around the columns provides another texture and also serves as a drainage collection sump that recirculates water via hidden pumps.

At the edge of the main courtyard is a small texture garden with plants that visually softens a tall brick wall.

Finalists in the category included the Swantown Marina shoreside construction project in Olympia and the Nemeth residence in Sumner.