Aki Kurose
Aki Kurose Middle School Addition and Modernization Project
About the project
This is a project to demolish 25,000 square feet of the existing school and construct a new approximately 65,000-square-foot classroom wing, and to also modernize 145,000 square feet of the existing school. The result will be permanent space for up to 1,000 student in grades 6-8. The expanded and modernized building will have secure points of entry and will be contextually appropriate and respectful of the surrounding neighborhood.
Funding is included in the Building Excellence V Capital Levy (BEX V) to develop the designs for the project. Funding for the addition and modernization will require voter approval of the next capital levy, Building Excellence VI (BEX VI).
Timeline
![construction phase graphic showing that the school is in the Schematic Design phase](http://www.seattleschools.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/ConstructionProgress_2_SchematicDesign-1024x123.png)
- Predesign phase: Complete
- Schematic design phase: In process.
- Design development phase: Estimated start October 2024
- Construction documents and permitting phase: Estimated start Spring 2025 (pending voter approval of capital levy in February 2025)
- Bid and award phase: Estimated start Winter 2026 (pending voter approval of capital levy in February 2025)
- Construction phase: Estimated start Summer 2026 (pending voter approval of capital levy in February 2025)
- Estimated project completion: Summer 2028 (pending voter approval of capital levy in February 2025)
- Estimated occupancy: Fall 2028 (pending voter approval of capital levy in February 2025)
Frequently Asked Questions
School Design Advisory Team (SDAT)
Seattle Public Schools created the School Design Advisory Team (SDAT) process to allow each school community to have input into renovation of or construction of their school building. This process provides a means of integrating a school’s vision and educational goals into the design within the structure of the district Educational Specifications (Ed Specs). The result is refinement of the Ed Specs to create school-specific designs that support each school’s educational goals. School leadership, teachers, staff, parents, students, and community members participate in the SDAT through a series of workshops.
Aki Kurose SDAT Members
Aki Kurose Middle School
- Caine Lowery
- Wendy Miller
- Maggie O’Sullivan
- David Nelson
- Susie Clark
- Mike Browne
- Qing Wenes
- Shannon Lindsey
- Kim Coats
- Katrina Hunt
- Dr. Dedy Fauntleroy
Aki Kurose Middle School parents
- Kalayaan Domingo
- Siengkham Douangdala
Aki Kurose Middle School student
- Rene Rivas Domingo
Project Management Team
- Vince Gonzales, Sr. Project Manager
- Brad Tong
- Cheri Hendricks
- Kim Fong
- Jerome Hunter
Design Team
- Amy Vanderhorst
- Sara Wilder
- Parfait Bassale
- Matthew Bissen
- Matthew Sullivan
- Bridgette Tinsley
- Theo Pinceloup
SDAT Workshop Summaries
SDAT 1: February 8, 2024
SDAT 2: March 14, 2024
SDAT 3: March 21, 2024
SDAT 4: April 4, 2024
SDAT 5: April 26, 2024
SDAT 6: May 16, 2024
Project Planning Updates
Progress updates are posted for the previous month.
Major activity in May 2024
- Continued outreach meetings to invite input into the design process for a wider group of the Aki Kurose community.
- Presented one or more refined design concepts to the SDAT group in response to their design goals and earlier feedback.
- Convened one Community Café to discuss how learning environments and other spaces I the building can support students through welcoming and culturally responsive spaces, differentiated unique breakout spaces supporting various learning sizes and styles, and social-trend pantry, closet and personal restroom to support the privacy and care for each student.
- Presented refined Design Goals and three design concepts: Unifying Climb, New Connections and Graham Central to the SDAT group for their evaluation on how locations of academic neighborhoods and broad strokes of modernization ideas meet the design goals.
- The Unifying Climb concept offers a new welcoming entry from Graham Street. Students entering the Commons will encounter a new large and inviting stair that will connect to the new northwest academic wing via a weather-protected skybridge. The skybridge will provide an informal gathering space as well as offer views into the Outdoor Learning Courtyard below and Brighton Playfield to the north.
- The New Connections concept focuses on strengthening internal connections between key student spaces, such as creating direct visibility between the Commons and the Gym by relocating the kitchen and auxiliary spaces. It prioritizes academic neighborhoods distributed equitably on both floors, with each neighborhood a destination. It also relocates the Library from the southwest corner of the existing building to the southeast, where a view of Mount Rainier will be visible.
- The Graham Central concept priorities placement of the large public spaces on the first floor, allowing the entire second floor to be occupied by classrooms.
- The Unifying Climb and New Connections were selected to be further developed by the design team for SDAT workshop 6.
- At SDAT workshop 6, the SDAT prefers New Connections concept better after a refinement of New Connections and Unifying Climb was presented, while the private courtyard in Unifying Climb concept creates an identity that resonates with the design goals.
- The New Connections concept will be further developed for upcoming workshop prioritizing the new entry, commons-courtyard-gym connections and a private courtyard at the new addition wing for SDAT workshop 7 in June.
Community Cafés
These theme-based discussions with staff, families, and community members were facilitated by the project team.
Complete
Community Cafe 1: Theme — Family Engagement, March 14
Community Cafe 2: Theme — Community Engagement, March 28
Community Cafe 3: Theme — Supporting Students, April 18
Project Team
Construction Management Firm: Shiels Obletz Johnsen, Inc. (SOJ)
SOJ Construction Manager: Brad Tong, bradt@sojsea.com
Project Design: Integrus Architectecture
General Contractor: Not yet selected