WSU Tri-Cities Academic Building
Richland, WA

Project Strategy

Situated at the confluence of the Columbia, Snake, and Yakima Rivers in Southeastern Washington, the Tri-Cities represent the Kennewick-Pasco-Richland Metropolitan Statistical Area in Benton and Franklin counties. Kennewick, Pasco, Richland, and West Richland make up the Tri-Cities.
The design of WSU Tri-Cities Collaboration Hall features open and collaborative learning spaces balanced with a mix of active learning classrooms, laboratories, small group niches, individual study spaces, and breakout rooms for more concentrated learning. The diversity of spaces not only maximizes the ability to collaborate and learn anywhere in the building, it acknowledges and supports different learning styles and personalities for more effective interdisciplinary study. Engaging students in the design process resulted in a building where every square foot serves a purpose and offers opportunities for growth.
Simple, durable and environmentally friendly finishes hold up under high traffic and aesthetically connect to the palette of the local desert ecosystem. Reclaimed wood on the central grandstand stair whose form takes cues from local basalt geological formations and stacks of apple-crates found throughout the region. The soft grey carpets from Mannington blend seamlessly with the sealed concrete floor in the central gathering space to create a unified whole while also reinforcing programmatic zones. In the labs and bathrooms, a herringbone pattern installation elevates the simple materials of Armstrong Striations BBT resilient tile and Dal-Tile Color Wheel mosaics porcelain tile. These products all help to make Collaboration Hall a welcoming and highly functional space for students unique to the WSU Tri-Cities campus.