Hospitality Design - April 2021 - 21

Photo by SCOTT NORSWORTHY and BENJAMIN BENSCHNEIDER

LMN Architects worked closely with the Coast Salish tribes
when developing the Mukilteo Mulitmodal Ferry Terminal near
Seattle, which derives its look from historical longhouses

transforms from lunchtime dining to evening
and weekend events. " The goal was to create
a space reflective of the gallery's identity,
the building's architecture, the work found
inside, and the ideals of the original founders,
Signe and Robert McMichael. It's their story I
wanted to tell, " Fashina explains.
To capture this heritage and remain
mindful of the indigenous land the building
sits on, Fashina and her team turned to local
wood, including a tree that was felled just
outside the grounds. " We wanted to avoid a
mass-produced, Eurocentric aesthetic, which
would conflict with the identity of the gallery, "
says Fashina.
Bringing together multiple Canadian
makers was key to the vision. Textile artist
Diana Watters' felt details adorn the slatted
divider screens, for example, while the host
stand is crafted from walnut by woodworker
Heidi Earnshaw, " to create a collection of
objects that are independently beautiful but
collectively meaningful, " says Fashina.

Cultural Sensitivity

In a design brief outlined by the State of
Washington, one of the directives for the new
bi-level Mukilteo Multimodal Ferry Terminal
and toll plaza, which links the communities of
Mukilteo and Clinton, was to pull inspiration
from the indigenous buildings of the local Coast
Salish Tribes. That would be the longhouse,
" a simple log-framed structure with planks
on the walls and a shed roof, " says Howard
Fitzpatrick, principal at Seattle-based LMN
Architects, which partnered with KPFF
Consulting Engineers on the design. But " a
building resembling the traditional longhouse
in its construction would be little more than an
imitation, a theme-park building. We wanted to
acknowledge the vibrancy of the Tribal culture,
its persistence over time, and its forwardlooking orientation. "
Visits with the Tribes, where insights were
gleaned from senior leadership, informed
the respectful revamp of a location that had
previously been used to store jet fuel. To

connect the project to the history of the
sacred site, wood carvings and glass art by
Joe Gobin and James Madison of the Tulalip
Tribe and metalwork by Kate Ahvakana of
the Suquamish Tribe are featured, as well
as a plaque commemorating where the
Treaty of Point Elliott was signed in 1855,
guaranteeing perpetual hunting and fishing
rights to the Tribes.
That devotion to the past is balanced with
a vision for sustainability, integrating the
likes of solar panels and natural ventilation.
Western Red Cedar and Douglas Fir,
woods traditionally embraced in longhouse
construction, complement polished concrete
floors, glass walls, and self-oxidizing steel
panels, which recall the rusted fuel tanks
of the ferry's former life. " The idea of
'living light on the Earth' became a guiding
principle, " he says. " We used the materials in
a straightforward and frank way. " hd
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Hospitality Design - April 2021

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