LAKEWOOD, WA — Construction crews have placed the final structural beam on Western State Hospital’s new mass timber administration building in Lakewood, Washington. HOK is leading the design for the administration building and an adjacent 350-bed forensic psychiatric hospital, both currently under construction.
The three-story, 57,000-square-foot administration building features a framing system comprised of regionally sourced wood columns and beams and cross-laminated timber decking. HOK worked with the structural engineer KPFF to develop concealed proprietary connections and fasteners that attach the glulam beams and columns.
The design, with its exposed wood interior, celebrates the local history of the timber industry while pushing the envelope of sustainable design. Some of the building’s timber columns are made from trees harvested directly from the site.
“The mass timber design serves a number of goals,” said Alan Bright, HOK’s Senior Principal, Design in San Francisco, California. “It highlights the natural beauty of western Washington and its evergreen forests. It reinforces the state’s commitment to environmentally friendly design, and it creates a warm and calming environment that benefits well-being.”
The building is designed to achieve LEED Gold certification and be net-zero-energy ready. Rooftop and site-mounted photovoltaic panels will generate renewable energy while advanced mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems, including thermal storage, will optimize energy efficiency and reduce peak energy loads. The building’s mass timber framing also significantly reduces embodied carbon by replacing carbon-intensive steel with wood.
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In addition to housing staff workplaces, the building includes ground-floor training and gathering spaces designed to foster collaboration and community. Fritted-glass curtainwalls will allow daylight to reach deep into the building and provide occupants with views of nature.
The administration building is slated to open in 2028, with the adjacent hospital scheduled to begin receiving patients later that year.
