South Whidbey Community Center

South Whidbey Community Center

Langley, WA

The former Langley Middle School gymnasium has been restored and reimagined for use by the South Whidbey Community Center. The middle school was closed in 2017. The building will also be used as a disaster relief center for residents of South Whidbey Island.

Architect BuildingWork and structural engineer Swenson Say Faget provided a seismic study and retrofit of the 1950s building. The existing 8,100 SF building is constructed with reinforced concrete walls and wood framed floors and roof. Retrofit measures included strengthening of the roof diaphragm, out-of-plane strongbacking of the unreinforced masonry partition walls, and the addition of reinforced concrete shearwalls. Additional work included restoring the original hardwood floors and uncovering the clerestory windows to add more light to the space. An exterior wall features a mural by Jarvis Art Studio that reflects its new purpose as a community center. The South Whidbey Community Center offers learning activities for all ages.

The project team also includes South Whidbey School District, client; Kassel & Associates Inc.; general contractor; RDH Building Science, envelope consultant; PBS Engineering and Environmental, HazMat consultant; and PanGEO, geotechnical engineer.

DJC Article