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BUILDING DETAILS Architect: Mason Contractor: CMU Supplier: (Click images below to enlarge)
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CHEHALIS TRIBAL COMMUNITY CENTER; Chehalis, WA This building for the Confederated Tribes of the Chehalis Reservation creates the missing heart of a rural community. It provides the setting for social gatherings, intergenerational learning, cultural preservation, celebrations and recreation for all tribal members. Among the Tribe's goals for the center was the creation of a simple, strong structure that would last for generations and stand up to constant use, but without constant maintenance. Their building needed to reinforce traditional connections to the land. They wanted it to reflect their traditional arts and crafts, but without literal depictions or the incorporation of symbols, which they consider improper. Accomplishing all that, it was the Tribe's goal to keep construction costs to a minimum. The 50,000 square foot building is monumental and recognizable as the community's center, but employs simple forms at a scale that remains recognizable and approachable. Shed roofs over glass walls create shelter for the center's activity spaces. These roofs then rest on simple concrete masonry unit substructures that house the building's service spaces: restrooms, storage and mechanical rooms. The punctuation of the CMU volumes by glass walls reinforces the connection between interior and the landscape in every space. CMU was selected as the principal exterior and interior material because it offers extreme durability with minimal maintenance requirements and an opportunity to express color, pattern and texture easily and economically. Using a combination of split and ground face blocks, and varying the color make it possible to create the abstraction of woven baskets on a monumental scale. Community members see different patterns in the walls. As sunlight passes over the center, the weave of the blocks constantly changes. Inside the center these patterns are translated into oversized porcelain tile walls that wrap the swimming pool and spa. The earth tones of the block are reflected in blue, gray and white tiles, chosen to honor the importance of the river in this community's heritage. Concrete tile, black like the river's stones, wrap the edges of the water. But this Community Center is also a refuge from that river. In a valley that experiences extreme flooding, tribal members and their neighbors may take shelter here, on high ground, when their homes are endangered. Emergency systems supply power to support the kitchens, restrooms, shower rooms and gathering rooms for up to seven days during a flood event. CMU walls provide seismic integrity without added steel bracing. The community center is designed to qualify for LEED silver certification, and the structure of the building supports that achievement with sustainably harvested cedar on walls and ceilings and locally produced concrete masonry. Simple, strong, durable and artful, the Chehalis Tribes' new building reflects the character of the people who built it, and has become the heart of their community. Commentary provided by Buffalo Design |
