S’Klallam Tribe Youth Center
Port Gamble, WA
Designed for the S’Klallam Native American Tribe, this building serves as a place for youths to spend time together learning about traditions, playing games, and working on school projects. The youth center’s architecture boasts spacious areas for recreation, arts and crafts, and contains a high-tech media studio. This can also be a place of healing and discussion as it includes spaces for counseling and meeting.
Architectural Features:
- Innovative wood frame construction
- Cost-effective architectural design
- Durable, low-maintenance material
- Innovative water conveyance systems
Connection to the Outdoors
Visual and spatial openness blurs the line between inside and outside and helps visitors maintain the sensation of being connected to the outdoors at all times.
The main recreation area is strategically located at one end of the building so that its glass façade can open up to the outdoor area, effectively doubling the amount of usable space. This visual and spatial openness blurs the line between inside and outside and helps visitors maintain the sensation of being connected to the outdoors at all times. The youth center’s architectural form is a simple pitched roof with dramatic overhangs, creating an impactful building design.
The building opens up, connecting it to a forested site near the water, signifying the connection we have to the earth. The pre-engineered “ganged” trusses were utilized to give the effect of heavy timer framing without using old-growth timber. In place of downspouts, water is allowed to drip into standard four-foot manhole sections that were placed to collect the rainwater. Efficient lighting fixtures were utilized throughout to reduce costs, and to add to the ambiance of the building. The architecture of the youth center is designed to be sustainable, durable, and connected to nature, creating a long-lasting and welcoming space.
