wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ Intellectual House

Seattle, Washington

Low-Energy Performance in a Space Rooted in Indigenous Tradition and Community.

The wǝɫǝbʔaltxʷ–Intellectual House is a longhouse-style facility on the University of Washington’s Seattle campus, grounded in the cultural building traditions of the Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest. Its purpose is to foster Native American student success and leadership, providing a culturally resonant space for study, collaboration, and community. The building includes a large gathering space, commercial kitchen, meeting rooms, study areas, and offices.

The facility is designed to use less than half the energy of similar buildings on campus. Ecotope engineered a mixed-mode natural and mechanical ventilation system that includes an energy recovery ventilator (ERV) and variable capacity heat pumps for space heating. This approach supports energy efficiency while maintaining occupant comfort in a space designed for community use. Ecotope provided HVAC and plumbing engineering design, energy modeling, and energy efficiency consulting.