Bainbridge Island Campus

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND CAMPUS

 

A school, community space, and event venue in the woods

IslandWood > About Us > Bainbridge Island Campus

ABOUT OUR CAMPUS

Our 250-acre campus on Bainbridge Island, Washington hosts our School Overnight Program, graduate program, meetings and retreats, weddings, special occasions, summer camps, and public events for adults and families. Our campus features six different natural ecosystems, miles of trails, a garden classroom, and a sustainably-built infrastructure that facilitates learning, discovery, and community building.

 

See a map of Bainbridge Campus here.

A forest trail at IslandWood, an Outdoor Wedding Venue

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN

Our campus was sustainably designed and is LEED Gold certified. Sustainable design elements include:

  • Photovoltaic roof panels provide 50% of lighting and electrical needs.
  • Composting toilets eliminate water use.
  • An interpretive interface in the Sustainability Classroom allows students to electronically monitor their energy and water consumption.
  • Each classroom features a different sustainable flooring: cork, bamboo, recycled rubber, and concrete.
  • Bathroom stall partitions are made from recycled plastic.
  • Each classroom countertop features a different sustainable surface: recycled-content concrete, recycled yogurt container composite, or soybean/sunflower seed bio-composite.
  • Walls are constructed from straw bales.
  • High-efficiency wood stove provides alternative heat source.
  • Skylights and bay windows provide natural day lighting.
  • Solar-heated water from roofs preheats water for showers and sinks.
  • Upstairs areas feature cork flooring, a renewable resource and sound absorber.
  • Throw rugs in bunkrooms are woven from upholstery remnants and discarded clothing.
  • Flooring in Great Room and Loft made from recycled wood.
  • An on-site treatment system provides tertiary treatment of wastewater. The reclaimed water is used for low-flush toilets. Read more about the Living Machine in this blog post!
  • A detailed site and resource analysis was used to locate campus buildings in areas that would cause the least impact to the most sensitive areas— including mature forests and wetlands.
  • Initial “bio-mass re-use” of all organic debris on site during the clearing and construction.
  • Children and visitors help restore the site with native plants from an on-site nursery.
  • Extensive native plantings throughout, and long-term planning for invasive species eradication.
  • Vermiculture and “Earth Tub” composting systems for food and plant waste.
  • All wastewater is treated on site using either the Living Machine or constructed wetlands. Both systems utilize a natural biodegradation process in which aquatic plants, microorganisms, and snails consume the organic matter and produce a highly treated effluent that can be re-used or applied safely to the surrounding soil.
  • Sustainably harvested wood was purchased and used in 75% of the entire project’s construction.
  • Site-harvested trees, cleared for siting the buildings on campus, were dried and milled, and used in exterior and interior trim.
  • Untreated plywood and oriented strand board (OSB), made from smaller trees and chips, cover interior surfaces.
  • Engineered lumber and trusses were utilized for roof and floor framing, reducing the need for large and older growth timber. Engineered lumber is more resource efficient than standard lumber–sawdust, fibers, chips, and small pieces of lumber are used in their assembly. Engineered lumber performs better with less material than conventional lumber. Trusses and glulams are also made from sustainably harvested woods
  • Low energy computers and monitors for instructional and administrative uses consume one third of the energy of most common desktop computers.
  • Integrated phone, data, and video network with a fiber optic backbone between buildings save six miles of copper wire over traditional wiring techniques.
  • Affordable electricity production from readily available renewable resources is featured throughout the site, including: wind-power at the Learning Studios, a micro-hydro component at Mac’s Pond, and the photovoltaic on the classroom roofs.

SITE ACCESSIBILITY

IslandWood is continually striving to ensure our campus and our programs are accessible, equitable, and inclusive; foster community building; and safeguard the well being of our clients.

IslandWood abides by a fragrance-free policy. Due to the potential chemical sensitivity of visitors to our campus, as well as employees, graduate students, volunteers, and interns working at IslandWood, we ask that everyone refrain from using perfume, essentials oils, and other scented/fragranced products.

Great Hall an Outdoor Meeting

GETTING TO OUR CAMPUS

Our campus is located at 4450 Blakely Avenue NE on Bainbridge Island, which is a 35-minute ferry ride from downtown Seattle.