South Seattle Community College
Seattle, WA
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This building, designed by Matthew Coates while working at MITHUN, is located on the “seam” between the vocational and academic portions of this college campus, serving as a unifying component for all. Inside it houses an extension program, where students can earn a four-year degree from Washington State schools while remaining close to home.
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Transparent Design
The building is transparent in design allowing passersby to “see through it.”
During the day, the fourteen-foot overhang protects students walking across campus; in a sense, the building reaches out to meet you. In the evening hours when the lights are on, it appears to glow from within – fulfilling the client’s wishes that it be a “lantern of hope.”
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