This book explains the outcomes from the Fall 2018 graduate architecture design studio at Washington State University School of Design and Construction. The main goal set for this graduate studio was to instill in the students a comprehensive approach to designing sustainable buildings that put the future of our planet at the foreground of the design process. To achieve this, students were required to submit their design proposals to the 2019 AIA Committee on the Environment Top Ten for Students Design Competition. The class was asked to develop a proposal for a 100,000 ft2 mixed-use building in the Wallingford Neighborhood of Seattle that challenges the status quo of Seattle’s office building typology as well as address a variety of sustainability measures. This postindustrial neighborhood is undergoing a lot of change with industrial buildings being converted into office and retail space. The demographic is predominantly young adults, most of which have occupations in management and technology.

This studio was developed in collaboration with the Seattle offices of the Miller Hull Partnership, one of the leading architecture practices in sustainable design at a national and international level. This collaboration provided a conduit between WSU students and the Seattle practitioners. It helped students establish ties with the industry as they prepare to commence their professional careers. For the practitioners, this was an opportunity to see what a design of a typical mixed-use building would be if constraints were limited to allow for creative design ideas to emerge. The Wallingford mixed-use development is an actual project currently in the early design phases at Miller Hull Partnership. In addition, the client, Evolution Projects, is highly interested in high performance buildings that meet/exceed current sustainability standards.