Skagit Valley College Library & Culinary Arts Center

This new library and culinary arts commons building that will provide a new library, learning labs, tutoring center, and community gathering spaces. The single-story building will become the culinary program’s new home, with the most up to date equipment and laboratory space.

At the onset of Schematic Design, the building was initially envisioned as mass timber. However, due to the complexities of the design, steel emerged as the most competitive material for the project. Through collaboration with the architect and an open mind to structural systems, we arrived at a solution involving open web joists on glulam beams and columns, with steel incorporated in select locations to address shear wall requirements. This adjustment met both the structural design needs and the architectural vision.