District Office Building

Dawson built the Bellingham School District's 53,000 square foot administrative headquarters, a three-level structure set into a sloping site. The building houses district offices, conference and support facilities, and an early childhood learning center, with on-site surface parking for staff and visitors. The design takes advantage of the natural grade change to tuck the lower level into the hillside while maintaining daylight access on all floors.

The District Office Building gives Bellingham's school administration a modern headquarters that consolidates operations and improves efficiency, while the early childhood learning center provides the district's youngest students with purpose-built spaces that support early development. The hillside design makes the building feel connected to its site rather than imposed on it, and the daylight on every floor creates a work environment that is a genuine improvement over the scattered offices the district previously occupied. It is a building that serves the entire school community, from the superintendent's office to the toddlers downstairs.