Culturally Responsive Facility Serving Seattle’s Ethiopian Community

Ethiopian Village | Seattle, WA

Motivated by the need for affordable housing and community services for seniors, the Ethiopian Community in Seattle (ECS) partnered with HumanGood Affordable Housing (HGAH) and Environmental Works to develop Ethiopian Village. The project provides 90 affordable homes for seniors and a renovated Ethiopian Community Center in the heart of Seattle’s Rainier Valley.

The intergenerational services housed in the new facility provide a seamless safety net across generations that includes social, educational, economic, and health support services. The design for the community center space includes multiuser meeting and event spaces for cultural gatherings, life celebrations, and community meetings; a coffee shop serving traditional Ethiopian coffee, tea and snack; social service offices to provide culturally competent case management, support, and community referrals; youth programming space to support after-school and summer activities; a state-of-the-art computer learning center; and a licensed early childhood education center.

COMMUNITY DESIGN

The design for the Ethiopian Village showcases the powerful influence community involvement can have in the design process. Through interactive hands-on community design workshops, we were able to identify and highlight elements of Ethiopian tradition and culture, and in turn reflect those ideas in the design of the building and spaces. We were delighted to have a high level of participation in community design workshops and review meetings, which provides a sense of ownership in the resulting design.

AWARDS

Night of the Stars - Community Impact Award