BAINBRIDGE ISLAND CAMPUS
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.
Our campus-based programs, from our School Overnight Program to summer camps, operate year-round and serve thousands of school-aged children every year. To ensure the safety and well-being of the young people in our care, our campus – including the trail system – is private and all guests and visitors must check-in at the Welcome Center.
On many weekends throughout the year, when children and other event guests are not on site, we offer free and low-cost programs on our campus. Check out our Events Calendar for upcoming opportunities.
Thank you for helping us ensure the safety of children who participate in our programs!
SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
Our campus was sustainably designed and is LEED Gold certified. Sustainable design elements include:
- Solar meadows and building orientations maximize passive solar gain. High performance windows optimize solar heat gain and reduce energy consumption.
- All concrete contains 50% flyash, a recycled utility waste product of coal.
- Natural ventilation replaces air conditioning. Buildings designed using computer modeling to locate window openings and operable skylights for maximum air circulation.
- Walk-off mats at entry doors are made from recycled tires.
- Many building materials are left untreated to reduce off-gassing of volatile organic compounds.
- Roof rainwater collected at several buildings used for landscape irrigation.
- Wood harvested from solar meadows used for exterior siding and interior trim throughout project.
- More than 50% of wood products are Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified.
- The small sections of carpet found in the Administration Office are made from 95%-recycled carpet.
- A 92-foot, 120-year-old salvaged wood beam serves as a major design element in the primary roof truss.
- Flooring is assembled from salvaged wood.
- Skylight and mechanically operated louvers provide solar heating and natural ventilation.
- Solar-heated water for kitchen, restrooms, and laundry operation.
- Photovoltaic powered fans for room ventilation.
- Bathrooms feature recycled glass tiles in floor and wainscoting.
- 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.
- Buildings, Outdoor Spaces & Field Structures
- All indoor spaces are ADA accessible, including Lodges, Dining Hall, Learning Studio, etc.
- Many of our outdoor spaces and field structures are ADA accessible, including the Learning Tree House, Garden, Friendship Circle, certain Team’s Course elements (Whale Watch, Spider’s Web), and the Floating Classroom.
- Parking
- Accessible parking is located in the parking area near the Arrival Shelter. Other spaces by the Arrival Shelter will be held open for potential accessible parking. Additional accessible parking spots are located near the Overnight Parking fire road.
- A golf cart is available to transport guests with mobility needs to the Welcome Center.
- Bathrooms
- Bathrooms are equipped with grab bars and additional features (toilets, showers, etc.) to meet ADA requirements.
- Gender neutral bathrooms are available in the Administration building and in the field.
- Trails, Walkways, & Ramps
- All main campus trails are suitable for wheelchair access.
- Certain additional trails on campus, which may be more rugged or narrower, can be accessed by using all-terrain wheelchairs. IslandWood is able to provide an all-terrain wheelchair on site for visitor use.
- Most trails are unpaved, and the main trails are covered with gravel.
- All walkways and ramps adhere to slope and width guidelines set out by ADA code.
- Accessibility Equipment/Wheelchairs
- For sustained mobility support, we are able to loan out 2 manual wheelchairs.
- First Aid/Medical Equipment & Resources
- We have access to an EMT on staff, and 24-hour emergency medical services are accessible via 911, and an urgent care facility open during business hours on Bainbridge Island.
- In case of emergencies that occur on the trail, we have access to a golf cart to help provide care/a ride for visitors in need.
- Hearing Impairment Resources
- Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us if you’d like auxiliary aids and resources during your stay at IslandWood.
- General Policy
- The only animals allowed on IslandWood campus are Service Animals.
- Service Animals on Field Structures
- IslandWood recognizes that Service Animals, especially those trained by organizations accredited by Assistance Dogs International (ADI), receive the highest level of training with the intent to create safe situations for their person and the people around them. These dogs are allowed unconditionally in the buildings, on the trails, in the bog tree house, learning tree house, Millworker’s Cabin, suspension bridge and in wild zones. The dogs and their people can use the canopy tower if:
- A trained and capable IslandWood staff member is present; and
- The dog and person remain in the rear of a group so as not to cause any impediment for people following; and
- The group is insured to be at IslandWood.
- IslandWood recognizes that Service Animals, especially those trained by organizations accredited by Assistance Dogs International (ADI), receive the highest level of training with the intent to create safe situations for their person and the people around them. These dogs are allowed unconditionally in the buildings, on the trails, in the bog tree house, learning tree house, Millworker’s Cabin, suspension bridge and in wild zones. The dogs and their people can use the canopy tower if:
- IslandWood will query prospective visitors in advance about any special accommodations (including service animals) that may be needed and will provide them with descriptions and images of field structures so that the visitor can make an informed decision about their own safety.
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.
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.
From the Bainbridge Island Ferry, Kitsap Transit Route #98 and Route #97 buses stop in the vicinity of IslandWood.
NOTE: Kitsap transit does not run on weekends and has limited bus service.
Kitsap Transit also offers ACCESS Service which provides door-to-door or curb-to-curb transportation to the elderly and disabled unable to use the fixed route transit system.
The ferry from Seattle to Bainbridge Island departs from the Coleman Dock located at:
801 Alaskan Way Pier 52
Seattle, WA 98104
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