Master Plan & New Campus

Owner: Cornish College of the Arts
Scope: Multi-block campus plan and renovation of 140,000 SF

To celebrate Cornish’s vitality and build its profile in the community, the master plan involved relocation from the quiet of north Capitol Hill to a high-visibility location in Seattle’s urban core. In the first phase, the Lenora Building design became an exercise in subtraction. Working with the historic building’s white walls and exposed ductwork, the warehouse concept facilitated intermingling of academic departments on floors with art studios, theater spaces and classrooms. Gallery spaces with movable partitions serve as metaphor to the teaching philosophy — constantly evolving and infused with color by students’ own creativity. Just a few steps down the street, Raisbeck Hall, former home of the Sons of Norway, greets visitors with a striking blend of old and new. While preserving traditional Scandinavian wood carvings and exposed beams, the interior retains its heritage and meets today’s demands as a high-performance black box theater.