Evergreen State College, Seminar II building, Olympia, Wash.

OLYMPIA — The Seminar II building at Evergreen State College will be the first building designed specifically to reflect the college's academic programs and commitment to the environment.

The 150,000-square-foot building will contain a series of five learning clusters attached to open-air walkways. Each learning cluster comprises four interdisciplinary academic programs, faculty offices, homerooms, seminar rooms, a workshop and a lecture hall. Interaction among inhabitants of the building is encouraged by the four-story cluster organization, which also breaks down the scale of the building.

The “green” goals of the design include daylight, fresh air and outdoor teaching areas. To acheive these goals, each cluster will have natural ventilation in the form of a chimney and a daylighting tube to maximize air and light. The lower floors will be mechanically cooled, but chimneys will connect the second and third floors, with a damper and louvers included in the plan for the fourth floor. All windows will have shading devices, and ventilation will include trickle vents for winter weather.

The architect is Mahlum Architects.