:KIUAS - Cultivating Health and Wellness Through Cultural Identity

Abstract

The Finnish community in Seattle has been dispersed throughout the Puget Sound for some time. As it is the 100th year of independence in 2017, bringing the community back together in one space is vital. The project provides the last puzzle piece to the Nordic identity in Ballard, as the Finnish community is the last to have their own cultural commons. This project, located in the neighborhood of Ballard, in Seattle, Washington, seeks to create a cultural center that promotes health & wellness to the greater community through means of cultural identity - in this case, sauna. The project looks back to Nordic history in the Puget Sound, as well as cultural, design, and Nordic identity for influences in design. The theoretical framework established uses patterns of design, influenced by Christopher Alexander, to guide site planning, architecture, and landscape architecture. Through the identification of 12 patterns of design, concepts emerge and incite the public, semi-public, and secluded areas of the site programming. The project, KIUAS, is presented as campus plan with multiple buildings arranged through patterns of design. The building design is fully realized through structure, tectonics, materiality, and lighting design. The project serves as a framework design for how patterns of design can be applied regardless of location.