A place for community engagement with hands on environmental education.

Located on the eastern shore of Lake Washington, St Edwards State Park is a former Seminary that was bought by Washington State in 1976. The 316 acre park features 3000 ft of freshwater shoreline, second growth forests, streams and wetlands.

The Saint Edward Environmental Education and Research Center (EERC) is an adaptive reuse of a defunct gym shower facility as a new hands-on classroom utilized by Washington State Parks, University of Washington Bothell, local K-12 schools, and the wider community to engage in innovative environmental education and research. The research center serves as a place for community group meetings, a starting point for field trips into the park, a classroom for field study, research courses and community science projects as well as a staging area for restoration and ecological network projects.

Side x Side led a series of engagement meetings that included Washington State Parks representatives, education professionals and city council members to better understand how this facility could serve the community and how to renovate the building with environmental sustainability in mind. The project team was instrumental in connecting the Living Future Institute, King County Green Tool, UW Bothell Sustainability Team, with the Washington State Parks and EERC planning stakeholders, fostering an ecosystem of care. Sustainable design strategies include a solar panel array, rain water collection, natural ventilation, and ultra efficient lighting, water fixtures and exterior envelope.

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