1801 E. 56th St., Tacoma WA 98404
First Creek Middle School opened September 2, 2009 bringing the students of two former middle schools — Gault and McIlvaigh — together under one roof. The new school, which was constructed on the McIlvaigh site, used a design similar to Giaudrone Middle School’s to facilitate the building process.
The layout of the facility places the three academic classroom wings facing Portland Avenue, while the athletic fields will be located to the southeast — adjacent to the gymnasium. The two-story, steel-framed structure will be wrapped in metal and masonry for durability and long life. The commons will function as the core of the school with the two-story classroom wings feeding off the central spine, separating the academic wings from the activity areas.
Daylighting plays a major role in the design of the school. Increasing natural light levels will improve academic performance, create better working environments, reduce the cost of energy consumption and provide a better quality of light.