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A 7-year-old magnet school in Vancouver, Washington, is finally united.

Previously, Vancouver iTech Preparatory served students in grades 6-8 in one location and students in grades 9-12 in another. But recently operations were consolidated in a new 80,000-square-foot building at 16100 N.E. 50th Ave. Vancouver Public Schools has seen demand for entry in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) school increase, so it prioritized creation of a new building via money from a $458 million bond approved by voters in 2017.

鈥淚t’s one of the district’s schools of choice,鈥� said Jack Claros, facilities planner for Vancouver Public Schools. 鈥淭hey didn’t really have a school of their own. The middle school portion was housed at the main district office and then the high school used to be up here at the Clark College building on (Washington State University’s) campus. So this school was built to create an actual school for those students.鈥�

LSW Architects designed the three-story building, which features a slab-on-deck foundation, a structural steel framework, and cross-laminated timber floor panels and ceiling panels. General contractor Robinson Construction began work in September 2018, and substantial completion was achieved in just over 14 months.

This is the third school project for Vancouver Public Schools with cross-laminated timber panels.

鈥淧art of it is the 鈥榖iophilic’ element of wood,鈥� Claros said. 鈥淚t’s about warming up the space and bringing nature indoors. It just made sense, at least strategically. We placed the panels in areas where it would be visible and kept it exposed.鈥�

The heart of the building is a learning stair that serves as an assembly and event space, an extension of the adjacent cafeteria, and an informal gathering and learning space. A huge flat-screen display faces the learning stair from a second-level balcony with the exposed framing that was included for seismic resilience.

The individual laboratory spaces are many and varied. The new building has science and fabrication labs, a media center, break-out and collaboration spaces, a robotics lab, an art studio and more 鈥� all visible through generous glazing.

Finally, exterior materials are dominated by brick masonry and a smattering of metal panels given a wood-like finish.

鈥淚 think this building contextually achieves multiple things,鈥� Claros said. 鈥淚t resides on WSU’s campus, we worked with them as a stakeholder, and the architecture resonates contextually with the campus while maintaining its own integrity through the use of materials.鈥�

Vancouver iTech Preparatory

Owner: Vancouver Public Schools

General contractor: Robinson Construction

Architect: LSW Architects

Planner: BergerABAM

Civil engineer: Harper Houf Peterson Righellis Inc.

Mechanical, electrical and plumbing engineer: PAE

Structural engineer: KGA Structural Engineers

Landscape architect: PLACE