Tour and Happy Hour

Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth (CDHY) Academic and Physical Education Building

March 4, 2025
4:30 – 5:30 pm Pacific
Happy Hour to follow tour

3107 E. Evergreen Blvd
Vancouver, WA 98661
***NOTE that Google has the address to the front door off of Grand Ave – the NEW FRONT DOOR is now off of E. Evergreen Blvd. Parking is free in the school parking lot.

Tour Guides:
Alan Halleck, Skanska & Séamus Kelly, Mithun

Photo by Lara Swimmer / ESTO

The Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth (CDHY) is nearing completion of a 35,000-sf new mass-timber K-12 academic and 15,000-sf physical education project on the historic Washington School for the Deaf campus. As the only residential ASL-English bilingual school in the state, CDHY offers a holistic approach focused on fostering linguistic, cognitive, social and emotional development, while also promoting the maintenance and study of American Sign Language (ASL) and English.

Deaf-led workshops activated a robust curve of user engagement throughout the process, informing a design that contributes to campus connectivity, transparency, and sense of belonging. Working closely with DeafSpace design consultants Hansel Bauman and Robert T. Sirvage, the progressive design-build team Skanska + Mithun partnered with the CDHY community to co-create spaces that provide engaging, Deaf-centric learning environments tailored to ASL-English bilingual education, leveraging mass-timber to reduce embodied carbon and support occupant wellbeing—reducing stress, improving daylighting, and increasing engagement in a conducive, home-like learning environment.

DeafSpace design is about physical and emotional wellbeing, centering the Deaf experience and honoring Deaf culture. Everything from visual connection, “invisible corners”, extended peripheral and sensory reach, thoughtful lighting, high-performance glazing, colors that won’t accelerate eye strain, and more; needs to be considered to enhance the provision of instruction and services that meet the unique communication, education and safety needs of children/youth who are Deaf and hard of hearing. Student engagement is critically essential to positively impact Deaf education. Research on the biophilic influences of wood in interior environments has proven that connection to natural materials increases productivity, reduces stress, and improves overall well-being—all core tenets behind positive student engagement.

The CDHY project embodies a holistic vision of Deaf education, where architectural innovation harmonizes with cultural heritage to create spaces that inspire learning, foster inclusivity, and empower future generations of Deaf leaders.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify the links between education space design and student engagement, excitement, learning, focus, and wellbeing.
• Explore the DeafSpace Design Guidelines’ five major touch points between Deaf experiences and the built environment: space and proximity, sensory reach, mobility and proximity, light and color, and acoustics.
• Learn how highly tuned spaces maximize American Sign Language (ASL) / bilingual instruction practices and equip students for visual learning in conversation.
• Identify a way to optimize mass timber technology that affords a cost-competitive biophilic approach to build green schools with cognitive benefits to students.

Special Instructions or Requirements for Attendees to be on Campus:
The CDHY campus is not just a school campus, but a residential campus that is home to many students. Attendees will be asked to stay with the tour group and not wander outside of the guided tour, without a chaperone.

The design team will coordinate for CDHY interpreters to be with all tour groups to provide inclusive access to communication.

Key Firms:
Design Builder: Skanska + Mithun
Contractor: Skanska
Architect: Mithun
Landscape Architect: Mithun
Structural Engineer: PCS
MEPT Engineer: Glumac + JH Kelly
Civil Engineer: HHPR
Specialized Consultants: DeafSpace Consultant – HB A+P; Lighting Consultant – Dark-Light; Signage Consultant – Mayer-Reed; Acoustics – A3 Acoustics

Washington State Department of Enterprise Services / Washington State School for the Deaf

4:30 pm – 5:30 pm	Tour Center for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Youth (CDHY) 3107 E. Evergreen Blvd Vancouver, WA 98661
	Following Tour Happy Hour Feral Public House 1109 Washington St Vancouver, WA 98660

Members: Free | Non-Members: $20

Please register by March 3.