Open Door for Multicultural Families (ODMF), Mercy Housing Northwest (MHNW), Lotus Development and Schemata Workshop are creating a 225 unit mixed-use housing development in Kent that will include the new offices for ODMF, a Family Resource Center, and an inclusive Early Learning Center at a transit oriented development called the Multicultural Village (MCV). The physical and programmatic design of MCV will center on the needs of people with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDDs) and will also support people of all abilities.
The campus will include a 13,000sf Family Resource Center, 8,000sf of office space, and a 10,000sf inclusive Early Learning Center – all of which will be operated by ODMF for residents on site as well as people with IDDs coming from around the region. Programs and partnerships are being developed with Highline College (located across the street), Project Feast, and regional service providers.
Twenty percent of the homes will be allocated to individuals with IDDs and their families. Due to the diverse population the project is intended to serve, more than half the units will have two to four bedrooms. This is a unique residential model for people with IDDs, and one not currently found in the general marketplace.
Schemata is working closely with the landscape and civil teams to solve for a constant flow of pedestrians around the building, as well as the potential for a significant amount of stormwater. This poses ample opportunity for well-designed landscape and hardscape to manage the flow of people and water. A robust arts program will be informed by indigenous ways of thinking about the site, landscape and building response.
ODMF was founded in 2009 as an organization that provides culturally and linguistically relevant information, services, and programming to persons with IDDs and their families. The clients served by ODMF are often immigrants, refugees, and/or people of color. Executive Director Ginger Kwan created the vision for the MCV upon recognizing there were no inclusive residential communities for people with IDDs.
Mercy Housing Northwest owns and operates 54 properties throughout Washington and Idaho, providing over 5,000 families and seniors a place to call home at below-market rent. Beyond housing, they provide onsite resident services that focus on five key program areas – housing stability, health and wellness, community engagement, education, and financial well-being. These services help MHNW residents work toward self-sufficiency and break the cycle of poverty.
In response to Ginger's request for a land acknowledgement on the site, Schemata Workshop invited Owen Oliver from consulting firm Headwater People to join the team to help shape design concepts informing not only the site design but also the buildings and interiors.
Owen comes from the people of the Lower Columbia River, Salish Sea, and Southwest Pueblos. His work is concentrated in Indigenous education and cultural representation. In Seattle, Owen has worked with the Office of Planning and Community Development, Seattle Aquarium, Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, and Center for American Indian and Indigenous Studies.
At the outset of design, Owen shared importance of local waterways to Native people - to their transportation, exchange of goods and ways of living. There was a metaphorical connection made between the various local waterways - the Green and Duwamish Rivers, and the new "river" of transportation created by the Sound Transit light rail, which is connecting people to the greater region. He reminded us how Native people consistently try to construct infrastructure working with nature not in a way that was detrimental to the environment.
The importance of water, gathering, and placemaking have become central concepts for the site design and how the building meets the ground plane. There will be many opportunities for people to gather - at various scales for both the general public as well as residents of the building. There will be opportunities to see and understand the context of the building relative to larger land forms like Mount Rainier, the Salish Sea and the surrounding river valleys and agricultural lands. The materials and colors for both the exterior and interior will be informed by these ideas, as will a robust arts program that will incorporate functional art as well as traditional art objects.
While the design will be rooted in indigenous ways of thinking, with the design team continuing to explore approaches to reflect a multicultural community and foster a sense of inclusion for people of all backgrounds and abilities.