Washington State History Museum

The building’s cast-in-place concrete structure is clad with brick veneer and metal cladding, and standing-seam metal roofs. Sub-slab drainage and bentonite waterproofing were included to minimize infiltration risks posed by the site’s wet soils.

The building is designed to harmonize with the adjacent historic train station and helped to rejuvenate downtown Tacoma.

Tacoma, Washington
Client:  Olson Sundberg Architects & Moore/Andersson Architects
Dates of Service:  1992-1994

Project Summary:  This new, $ 23,000,000 museum structure in Tacoma, Washington, was designed by Moore/Andersson Architects in association with Olson Sundberg Architects, to be sensitive to its vintage surroundings, including the adjacent historic domed train station.  The site’s high water table and underground springs posed elevated risk of sub-grade leakage. 

 The museum consists of a post-tensioned concrete structure with cast-in-place concrete and steel-framed walls, and is capped with pre-cast concrete barrel-vaulted roofs.  Its exterior walls are clad with brick veneer and metal panels, while its roofs consist of terne-coated stainless steel standing-seam panels as well as single-ply membrane roofing.  Its exterior amphitheater is located over a subterranean auditorium.      

PL:BECS Services:  PL:BECS provided guidance to the architect throughout the building’s design.  Services included assistance with selection and specification of materials and products for the building’s many exterior components, review and input for selected exterior details and assemblies, and limited assistance with construction-phase questions and over-sight.

Guidance was provided for all of the building’s exterior components, including sub-slab and sub-grade drainage and waterproofing, post-tensioned concrete structure, plaza-deck waterproofing systems, brick veneer and aluminum claddings, glazing systems, standing-seam metal and single-ply roofing, traffic-bearing membranes, weather-exposed steel construction, flashings, sealants, and related materials.