South Seattle Community College
Seattle, WA
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.
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.”
