Bay Terrace Community & Education Center

The Bay Terrace Community and Education Center is at the heart of the revitalized Hilltop neighborhood. In collaboration with Tacoma Housing Authority and the Tacoma School District, GGLO completed the space programming and design of the Community Center as part of the larger Hillside Terrace master plan. THA and GGLO’s mission to help activate the community through safe, vibrant and beautiful places included utilizing early childhood program services, common spaces for adult education and job training programs and support services, and property management offices.

GGLO’s integrated design team extracted characteristics from the area’s past to create a safe, welcoming space for the community to gather, learn and grow. Tacoma’s long history as an industrial hub in the Pacific Northwest, and its deep ties to glass and visual arts were strong drivers in developing the building’s design.

Programming for the community center includes a classroom specially designed to host a Head Start program, areas dedicated to education and job training programs, engaging multipurpose rooms that are useful meeting spaces for community purposes; and office space for THA staff who manage the property. The community center achieved LEED® Gold on July 1, 2014.

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