Burke Museum

BURKE MUSEuM

The Burke Museum has undergone a multi-year transformation culminating in a new natural history and culture building at the northwest corner of the University of Washington campus. The new Burke breaks down traditional museum barriers by revealing to visitors the collections and research labs of a working museum. The design of both the architecture and the landscape strives to be honest and simple, allowing the museum’s objects and cultural storytelling to become the focus of the visitor experience.

The major site-design move is the creation of a level ‘yard’ within the sloping site that creates a grand forecourt and event space for the museum while also accommodating parking. At the south edge of the Burke Yard, seat steps extend into the Camas Field – a landscaped terrace showcasing the Pacific Northwest’s meadow plants. 70,000 of these native plants were grown and donated by Oxbow Farm & Conservation Center, with most propagated by locally collected seeds. The New Burke presents the rare opportunity for people to see and experience a sampling of these garden-worthy, useful plants and of the millennia of ethnobotanical connections between people and these plants.

Details

Location: Seattle, WA
Size: 5.3 acres
Client: Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture
Completion Date: 2019

Project Team

Olson Kundig Architects, Architect
GGN, Landscape Architect
Magnusson Klemencic Associates, Engineer
Oxbow Farm & Conservation Center, Native Plant Nursery