Tour & Dinner Presentation

Illahee Middle School

Thursday, September 18, 2025
Tour: 4:30 – 5:30 pm PT
Dinner/Presentation: 6:00 – 8:00 pm PT

Nestled within its forested campus, the reimagined Illahee Middle School embraces storytelling, sustainability, and school pride. Built on the footprint of the existing school, the design preserves and enhances the natural landscape, with new buildings framing a central courtyard that opens to the surrounding woods. The massing evokes a protective, castle-like presence, with tower elements marking the entrance and corners, while a main canopy bridges a rain garden, reminiscent of a drawbridge.

Aspirational storytelling is woven throughout the school, inviting students to embark on a journey of learning and discovery. Experiential graphics follow the adventures of three scholars—frog, bear, and squirrel—whose tracks meander through the halls, guiding students as they create their own stories. Biophilic design reinforces these themes, strengthening connections to the natural world.

Security and safety were key priorities, with features such as a secure welcome vestibule, a fully enclosed perimeter, enhanced surveillance, and dedicated bus and parent drop-off loops to improve circulation and safety.

Honoring the school’s rich history, the design preserves the beloved carved bricks from the original building, incorporating them into the new structure alongside newly created carvings. These intricate details—featuring nature-inspired motifs, school symbols, and whimsical elements—serve as hidden treasures for students and staff to discover, fostering a sense of identity and continuity.

By blending nature, security, storytelling, and heritage, the new Illahee Middle School creates an engaging, inspiring, and safe environment where students can grow, explore, and take pride in their learning journey.

Learning Objectives:

• Integrating Storytelling into School Design: Explore how experiential graphics, biophilic design, and architectural elements create an immersive storytelling experience that enhances student engagement and identity.
• Sustaining and Enhancing the Natural Landscape: Examine how the project preserves existing forested areas, frames the courtyard with nature, and incorporates biophilic elements to create a learning environment deeply connected to its surroundings.
• Preserving and Celebrating School Heritage: Learn how the integration of salvaged carved bricks and newly created motifs honors the school’s history, fosters a sense of continuity, and strengthens school pride.
• Designing for Student Exploration and Discovery: Discover how architectural details, such as hidden carved brick elements, forest-inspired motifs, and wayfinding graphics, encourage curiosity, interaction, and a sense of place within the school environment.

Project Team:
Architect of Record: Bassetti Architects
Landscape Architect: Fora
Structural Engineer: Coughlin Porter Lundeen
Electrical Engineer: BCE Engineers
Civil Engineer: AHBL, Inc.
Contractor: FORMA Construction
Specialized Consultants: Cost Consultant – RC Cost Group; Food Service – JLR Design Group; Theatre Planning – PLA Designs; Mechanical – Hargis; Hardware – Adams Consulting & Estimating; Acoustical / AV – The Greenbusch Group
Owner: Federal Way Public Schools

Dinner Program Presentation

In 2024, Hargis Engineers responded to Seattle Public School’s Clean Energy Resolution by leading the district in development of a capital plan that transitions their building portfolio from fossil fuels to 100% zero-carbon electricity by 2040. In parallel, Hargis benchmarked the district’s energy and carbon performance against two building performance standards – Washington’s Clean Buildings Performance Standard (CBPS) and Seattle’s Building Emissions Performance Standard (BEPS) – to ensure future compliance. The presentation will provide an overview of the performance standards, the process used to evaluate performance, and the recommendations and roadmap developed to achieve compliance.

Learning Objectives:

• Summarize the roadmap and key recommendations developed to transition Seattle Public School district’s buildings to 100% zero-carbon electricity by 2040 while ensuring future regulatory compliance.
• Describe the goals and key components of Seattle Public Schools’ Clean Energy Resolution.
• Review the Washington Clean Buildings Performance Standard (CBPS) and Seattle Building Emissions Performance Standard (BEPS), and how they apply to public school facilities.
• Identify the process used to benchmark energy and carbon performance across Seattle Public Schools’ building portfolio.

Speakers:

Michael Baranick, PE, CEM, CMVP, Associate Principal, Energy Services
Michael brings forth the perspective of a mechanical engineer and a strong understanding of energy efficiency measures and sustainable approaches. As an energy conservation specialist, he has assisted academic institutions balance big picture objectives with granular detailed analytics, and in many cases secure energy grants and rebates to off-set first cost impacts. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Santa Clara University, and Master of Business Administration from Seattle University.

Brian Cawley, PE, Principal, Mechanical
Brian actively leads projects throughout Washington and across the country, where works to translate emerging trends to owners’ applications and poise them for future operations He has contributed to some of the most energy-efficient, environmentally friendly in the region. His work has been recognized by ASHRAE as exemplary in its field. He holds a BS in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University and serves on multiple technical advisory committees to the state of Washington.

Becky Asencio, K-12 Planning Manager, Capital Projects and Planning, Seattle Public Schools

Schedule:

4:30 – 5:30 pm	Tour Illahee Middle School 36001 1st Ave S Federal Way, WA 98003
6:00 – 8:00 pm	Dinner Emerald Downs 2300 Ron Crockett Drive Auburn, WA 98001 (Emerald Room)

Rates:

Private Firm Member	$70 / $80
Private Firm Non-Member	$90 / $100
School Districts / Government Agency	$35

Please register so we can get an accurate head count.

Registration closes on September 17.
Early bird registration closes on September 9.

We greatly appreciate your attendance and active participation in our chapter events.

Payment / Cancellation / Substitute Policy

1. All registration payments are required prior to the start of the event.
2. I cannot attend the event. Can I get a refund?
   All requests for cancellations and refunds must be made in writing and emailed to Rain Maldonado with “WA DATE Cancellation Request” or “WA DATE Refund Request” in the subject line. No refunds will be issued for registrations cancelled or created 2 weeks prior to the event date. Credit card refunds will be issued at the time of cancellation. Check refunds will be issued within 60 days of the cancellation request. Please note there will be no refunds for no show attendees.
3. Can I send someone in my place if I am unable to attend? If so, how do I do that?
   Yes, if you will be unable to attend you can send someone else in your place. To do this, please provide a written request to Rain Maldonado, stating the name of the person who cannot attend and the person’s name that will be replacing them. Please be advised: substitution of a person in a different registration category may result in additional fees or a refund. If payment has not been received then the new attendee is responsible for payment. Refunds of this nature will be issued immediately, all additional payments will be required prior to the start of the event. Substitutions will be honored no later than 2 weeks prior to the event date.