Architectural Concrete

East Capitol Campus

Location: Olympia
Owner/developer: Washington State Department of General Administration
Project team: Berschauer Phillips Construction, general contractor; LaRusso Construction, concrete contractor; Miller|Hull Partnership, architect; Magnusson Klemencic Associates, structural engineer; Holroyd Co., ready-mix supplier

Reconstruction of the state’s Capitol Campus began as a waterproofing project for the employee parking garage below street level. The garage was built in the 1970s and suffered from water damage.

Illuminated way-finding signs were installed at the top of stair towers.

To replace the garage’s waterproofing, existing plants had to be removed. That gave the state an opportunity to redesign the outdated East Capitol Campus plaza. The design includes walkways, outdoor public gathering areas, new stairwell enclosures and public restrooms.

The plaza’s stair enclosures and restrooms are a contemporary blend of concrete and steel, taking cues from surrounding concrete and steel buildings.

Illuminated way-finding signs can be found at the top of stair towers. A motion-activated light sculpture was embedded in the plaza’s concrete slab. When the light sculpture area is occupied at night, pools of concentric circles light up, imitating ripples from raindrops.