Cast-in-Place Structures

Whatcom Community College Multipurpose Art Facility

Location: Bellingham
Owner/developer: Whatcom Community College
Project team: Ebenal General Construction, general and concrete contractor; Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects, architect; Lund & Everton, structural engineer; Ferndale Ready Mix, ready-mix supplier

Concrete was selected to build the Whatcom Community College Multipurpose Art Facility because of its durability and easy maintenance.

Exposed concrete with in-floor drains makes the art studio easy to clean.

The Art Facility provides space for a new ceramics studio, locker room services and supplemental storage for a recently installed sports field complex surrounding the facility. The interior studio space was created with exposed integral-colored cast-in-place concrete while the exterior is clad in precast, integral-colored concrete panels.

Using concrete allowed designers to extend long cantilevered overhangs to shade large south-facing windows and north-facing roof clerestories for optimal studio lighting. Concrete finishes on the floor, walls and ceiling allow the studio to be spray cleaned while the water is collected in floor drains.

Radiant heating coils embedded in the concrete floors keep the studio warm in the winter, while concrete roof clerestories with operable windows provide natural cooling during the summer.