Washington School for the Deaf Art Gate

The new focal point of the main entrance, an iconic art gate, represents WSD’s values while providing transparent security for the heart of campus. Spanning the two new buildings, the art gate is visible upon approach from the parking and drop-off area. From the campus interior, the gate provides a sense of safety without feeling confining.

The finger-spelling alphabet of the American Sign Language—a language of motion and gesture—flows across the gate panels. Excerpts from the school’s mission; “Bilingual, Empowered, Successful for Today and Tomorrow,” “Celebrating Deaf Culture” and ”Language Access for All” greet the community with a bold commitment to the school’s mission.  

The design process was adapted for the deaf client group. Closed captioning was used for virtual meetings, but in-person meetings with translators were encouraged. Designers learned to adjust their presentation cadence to allow for translators to sign and the meeting pace allowed for pauses to read captions, sign language and drawings before discussion. Large prints were used instead of digital slide presentations to allow for ease of pointing and interacting with documents. To reduce explanation time, images and material samples with labels were used to show concepts.

Designing a 72’ long barrier for security, while keeping a feeling of welcome and transparency was the main challenge for this project. Designer/fabricator collaboration was key in determining artwork line weights and material thickness. It was a balancing act to maintain structural integrity while using 3/16” thick laser-cut aluminum over the length of gate. Being careful to keep a specific percentage of open areas for safety and visibility, (with maximum opening of 4” diameter) and avoiding loose linework or loops that could hook onto clothing was tricky, all while preserving enough solid areas for stability. Earlier concepts used a finer filigree pattern of ASL finger-spelling outlines over the entire gate, but because laser run-times significantly affected the cost, the design was modified to incorporate more solid areas which allowed space for statements from the school’s mission to be layered in 1/4” thick stainless-steel letters.

Embodying a project vision established by the owner and design team for an “Integrated Campus with a Heart,” this art gate became a focal point of the new campus entrance. More specifically, the project goals included “making you smile and feel welcome,” “a new transparent heart that integrates campus and is not a barrier,” “strengthen connections to outside communities” and creating “inspiring, active and diverse Friend-Space.” The iconic art gate fulfills the vision by celebrating ASL and representing WSD’s values with a welcoming gesture to visitors, students and families.

Being visible upon approach, the art gate needed a singular, bold and fluid composition showing movement between the two new buildings. It also needed to be transparent enough to allow visitors to enjoy the beautiful new courtyard beyond, all while providing security for students and incorporating a working gate. 

Many patterns were studied, but it was the overall tracery of ASL letterforms that resonated with the school, expressing the lifeblood of learning that takes place there. Next, the various ASL alphabet styles were refined into linework that could maintain the structural integrity of the gate and have enough rigid connection points without loose prongs or hooks. This required drawing each letterform, sometimes using the designer’s own hand as a model. Collaboration with the laser cutting fabricator was critical, with samples tested during the process. The final solution expresses the school’s values beautifully while providing functional security and has become the icon of the revitalized campus.

Design Team

Kathy Fry (principal)
Debbie Shaw (project manager, designer)
Fred Stiber (designer)

Collaborators

Mithun (architect, landscape architect)
NorthClad Rainscreen Solutions (fabricator)
Skanska + Mithun (design/build team)

Photo Credits

Mayer/Reed, © Lara Swimmer/Esto

Open Date

September 2024