Designed as a flexible, modern workplace that supports important administrative functions, the new County building co-locates multiple agencies under one roof to facilitate coordination between departments.

Established as the seat of Klickitat County in 1878, Goldendale has long been the regional center of South Central Washington. Noting the iconic Main Street building facades and historic courthouse fronted by a central park, stakeholders envisioned a new building that would respect the past yet support the town’s current and future needs.

The County entrusted the design team with delivering a contemporary addition to Goldendale that would complement the existing civic character. Originally cast as a supporting player to the historic courthouse, the KCSB asserts its own identity adjacent to its more prominent neighbor. Sited directly across the park, KCSB frames the historic structure and takes its cues from its massing and façade articulation. The existing material palette, rhythm of the fenestration, and building scale were carefully adapted and used to inform the design. Every building is modern in its time. Although these two buildings epitomize very different architectural eras, they unite in scale and geometry, and provide a perfect counterpoint to one another.

Designed to foster and support the citizens of Goldendale, KCSB is the embodiment of the County’s mission to provide its community with access to services and civic connections. With a large, welcoming atrium opening up to views across the park, public spaces flow together thru an over-sized retractable glazed wall and a warm palette of materials. Glazed suite entrances along a common corridor create clear wayfinding for citizens of all ages and backgrounds.  Creation of the facility also provided an opportunity to implement resilient strategies related to healthcare and family support services, disaster preparedness, and systems infrastructure to serve this small rural community for many generations.

While a major driver of consolidation was to facilitate communication between various agencies including Building Planning, Economic Development, Public Health, and Senior Services, another important concept was adaptability to accommodate growth and shrinkage of departments. With a regular structural grid, clear open spans, and a plan organized on a modular layout, the cost to modify interior walls can be minimized and disruption to business processes mitigated. The short construction season in Goldendale and limited labor market drove the design team to use CLT construction to reduce on-site labor costs and schedule duration.