Photo courtesy of Drury Construction Co. The house posts at the House of Awakened Culture, which weigh 800 to 1,500 apiece, were installed using traditional methods: At least 30 men carried each post and lifted it into place using a pulley system.

Located on the downtown Suquamish waterfront, the House of Awakened Culture is the center of the Suquamish Tribe’s revitalization.

With great anticipation for the project’s completion, the tribe planned events for the building, meaning that despite inclement weather, poor soil conditions and strict LEED requirements, the Drury team had to complete the 12,000-square-foot cedar building on time. They did.

The building is the tribe’s first traditional gathering place since its longhouse burned 139 years ago. The tribe provided four traditional house posts, each weighing between 800 and 1,500 pounds, carved locally and painted by tribal members.

The tribe asked that the posts be installed using traditional methods. Each post was carried to the building by 30 or more men and lifted into place by a block-and-tackle pulley system.

The tribe sought a LEED silver certification for the project. The Drury team put into place a waste-management program that recycled 99 percent of the construction waste generated on the site.