This vibrant new center envisioned as the “jewel of the campus,” serves as a central gateway to introduce Wenatchee Valley College to prospective students and a space that all students experience. Its design builds on decades of master planning and development on campus. Replacing four wings of a 1950s-era building, it is named to honor a tribal elder who served as the tribe’s higher education director for over 45 years.
The building is oriented to draw students through outdoor pathways and sheltered corridors for all-weather access. Serving as the school’s “living room,” it offers classrooms, training rooms, office and a conference center, with a large atrium and diverse collaboration spaces. The building also houses the Chelan County Emergency Operation Center, an essential facility for community crisis response. Materials and finishes reflect the region’s context, with warm clay tones, cedar planks, and sagebrush green accents.
Its exterior complements the campus’s architectural style, while the landscape moves away from irrigation dependent lawns, showcasing native plants from the Columbia Basin’s shrub steppe to sub-alpine environment. This landscape also serves as an educational tool for the broader community, highlighting local eco-regions.
