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Mercer

Asa Mercer International Middle School Replacement Project

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Project Update

Major activity in June

  • Completed synthetic turf field.
  • Started commissioning work.
Wide-angle view of a three-story school building with a dark brick exterior and large windows. The foreground includes a landscaped area with young trees and newly planted greenery under a clear blue sky.
Bioretention, landscaping, and site grading mostly complete – June 2025
Freshly paved play area marked with painted shapes and surrounded by orange construction cones. Workers are visible in the distance preparing the surface. A large, multi-story building is in the background behind a row of trees.
Traffic garden installation in process – June 2025
A large, bright green artificial turf soccer field with white markings and multiple goal posts. The area is enclosed by tall trees and modern office buildings, with a cloudy sky overhead.
New playfield – June 2025
Sign for “Asa Mercer International Middle School” mounted on a concrete base at the edge of a fenced campus. Behind the sign is a raised, curved walkway with a wooden railing, and large trees providing shade.
Monument sign installation – June 2025
Spacious, carpeted classroom with natural wood ceiling beams, acoustic panels, and overhead lighting. The walls feature whiteboards and green accent paint, and a door opens to an adjacent hallway with lockers.
Typical classroom – June 2025
Modern learning space with a polished concrete floor, exposed wood ceiling, and a large roll-up glass garage door. The room includes workstations, wall-mounted sinks, and natural light from tall windows.
Art classroom with courtyard access – June 2025
Large multipurpose space with high ceilings, a built-in stage, and a scissor lift where a worker is adjusting ceiling fixtures. The room includes seating platforms.
Commons with stage – June 2025
Interior corridor with polished concrete floors, exposed ceiling ducts, and a bright green wall with classroom doors. Natural light enters from both ends of the hallway, and utility piping is visible overhead.
Interior hallway – June 2025
Spacious school gymnasium with a glossy hardwood basketball court, retractable hoops, and ceiling-mounted lights. The back wall features colorful acoustic panels, and a stage with curtains is visible to the left.
Gymnasium floor and lighting complete – June 2025

Major activity planned for July

  • Start furniture deliveries and equipment installation.

(Updates are posted for the previous month after the BEX/BTA Oversight Committee Meeting. The committee does not meet in August so there is no July update.)

About the Project

The existing Asa Mercer Middle School building will be demolished and a new mass timber multi-story middle school building of approximately 174,000 sq. ft. constructed. Once complete, the new school building will provide permanent space for 1,000 students in grades 6–8.

The new one- to three-story school will be surrounded by landscaping and outdoor learning spaces. A synthetic turf practice field is planned for the east side of campus. A new, secure entry will welcome students, families, and the community with a clearly defined “front door” to the school.

Classrooms will be organized by academic neighborhoods, with flexible support spaces to promote a sense of community and support academic success for all students.

Sustainable design features are built in to meet district goals for clean energy and renewable resources.

Funding Source: Funded by the Building Excellence V (BEX V) Capital Levy, approved by Seattle voters in 2019.

Interim Location: During construction, Mercer International Middle School will be located at the Van Asselt School Interim Site, 7201 Beacon Ave. S.

Timeline

construction phase graphic showing that the school is in the Construction phase
Learn what happens during these phases
  • Pre-design phase
  • Schematic design phase
  • Design development phase
  • Construction documents/permitting phase
  • Construction phase in progress
  • School opens Fall 2025

Construction Progress Photos

a large room with book shelves around the sides and under the windows
Library – March 2025
a large room under construction with a stage on the right and forms for large stairs on the left
Commons – March 2025
a large room with a counter and some missing ceiling tiles
Administration – March 2025
a classroom space with a wood beam ceiling and a smart board on one wall
Science classroom with technology installation in progress – March 2025
a large room with a high ceiling and wood braces in front of floor to ceiling windows
Carpet installed in Family Room – March 2025
a gymnasium
Gymnasium floor and lights complete – March 2025
a ramp goes up a hill with soil on each side between a building and a street
Southwest stair and ramp for main entry – March 2025
concrete stairs and a ramp in progress between a street and a building under construction
Main stairs for southwest entry – Feb. 2025
grading and concrete curbs in progress with a building under construction behind
South side with grading and curbs – Feb. 2025
a large room with construction materials has a stage opening and a proscenium being installed. another room is visible through the stage opening
Commons side view of stage – Feb. 2025
part of a room with folded up bleachers and a sanded wood floor
Bleachers and floor installation in gym – Feb. 2025
a hallway with large timber braces and a wood ceiling and concrete floor
Floor polishing continues – Feb. 2025
a row of lockers against a wall with an unfinished ceiling and wires
Lockers installed throughout school – Feb. 2025
slated walls around a desk area in a large room with wood ceilings and beams
Installing wall panels in the library – Jan. 2025
learning stairs in a large room are in process with treads in place and railings
Precast concrete treads on learning stairs – Jan. 2025
a hallway with wood braces has a concrete polishing machine sitting in the middle of the floor
Floor polishing in administration area – Jan. 2025
a partially completed classroom with wood beams
Classroom acoustic panels – Jan. 2025
a large open room in progress with a tiled floor being layed
Ceiling panels and tile flooring in the servery – Jan. 2025
partially finished concrete steps and ramp between a street and a building
Main entry stairs and ramp in progress – Jan. 2025
bricks are being washed on a building that is partially finished
Washing masonry on classroom wings – Jan. 2025
a gymnasium under construction wth a scissor lift and a colorful wall panel
Gymnasium – Dec. 2024
larger room partially completed with wood ceiling, large beams, and windows
Library windows in progress – Dec. 2024
a room under construction with a curved slatted based for a desk
Administration desk installation – Dec. 2024
large room with wide stairs under construction
Commons – Dec. 2024
building under construction with three floors of windows
Window installation complete – Nov. 2024
lifts are being used to put in ductwork in a large room
Ductwork installation in dining commons – Nov. 2024
a room with wires for lights and banks of lockers being installed
Locker room hardware installation – Nov. 2024
a large room under construction with a wood ceiling and one wall painted green
Classroom finishes in progress – Nov. 2024
a two story glass wall exterior with holes for doorways covered in plastic
Main entrance curtain wall – Sep. 2024
interior looking out through 2 story wall of windows with timber braces set in triangles
Interior view of the curtain wall at the main entrance – Sep. 2024
wall board taped and mudded with metal framing for a partial wall below a dropped ceiling
Work underway in entry and admin offices – Sep. 2024
looking down a hill that has wood forms with rebar ready for concrete
Forming for main entry stair – Sep. 2024
a gray brick building with dirt around it
Brick masonry along south entry wall – Sep. 2024
metal framing in front of cross laminated timber bracing and ceiling for a two story building under construction
Entrance framing – Aug. 2024
a building under construction with gray material on the exterior walls
Exterior sheathing on east side – Aug. 2024
people are working on deep stairs in a room under construction
Learning Stairs in the commons – Aug. 2024
a person is on a lift working on copper pipes near the wooden ceiling and beams
Plumbing installation – Aug. 2024
exterior of a partially construction building with large concrete blocks below and a scaffold walkway where bricks are being installed on the walls
Brick masonry installation on west side of music rooms and entry – June 2024
exterior of a large building under construction with walls partially framed, a person on a lift near the 3rd floor, construction materials in foreground and bright blue sky with light clouds.
Exterior wall framing for classroom wing – June 2024
a large interior room under construction with part of the ceiling wood and large wood beams. Windows are in all three walls that are showing. The walls are framed but do not have wallboard.
Library in progress – June 2024
large interior room under construction with framing on one side for stairs. there is materials and equipment in the space.
Learning stair framing – June 2024
a large room under construction with metal framed walls and wood framed ceiling with piping
Looking northwest in the new band room – May 2024
a large open space with laminated timber beams and wall supports and cross laminated decking
Cross-laminated timber decking in the classroom area – May 2024
exterior of a partially built wing of a building withe a roof and construction equipment
Library roof and parapet – May 2024
a steel interior stairway inext two a framed in wall on one side and large laminate beams on the other side
Steel stair installed along side the gymnasium – May 2024
a steel structure surrounds a framework
Learning stairs support steel structure installation – Apr. 2024
a partially framed building has a wood ceiling resting on wood beams and posts
Looking along the corridor spine on the 2nd floor – Apr. 2024
a crane is lowering a large sheet of wood onto a wood frame of a building under construction
Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) installation for the corridor – Apr. 2024
a row of frames made of columns and beams with steel on the ground in front
Glulam columns and beams installation – Apr. 2024
a building under construction with steel truss being installed for the roof and some wood wall framing in place
Steel truss erection for the gymnasium roof – Apr. 2024
wood framing for a building under construciton
Framing in the south section where they
a building is being framed with wood
Timber frame with cross-laminated timber in the entry area – Mar. 2024
a building is under construction with large cross-laminated timber beams and tibler posts
Timber frame installation – Mar. 2024
a backhoe moves soil at a construction site
Backfilling and compacting soil at the location of the classroom building – Feb. 2024
a concrete pump truck in the background with workers and a concrete slab in the foreground
Pouring a grade beam for the main entry – Feb. 2024
aerial view of a construction site that is still mostly flat and has some equipment on it
Looking southwest from webcam 1 – Feb. 2024
a trench with multiple lines of electrical conduit in it
Underground electrical new future boiler room – Nov. 2023
a trench with large pipes in it
Underground plumbing – Nov. 2023
a large construction machine is on a field of soil that has large round holes in it
Drilling aggregate piers – Oct. 2023
a tall metal structure is attached to the back of a truck with part of it in the ground. two workers are next to it.
Drilling geothermal wells – Oct. 2023
an excavator digging a hole
Installing deep stormwater and sanitary sewer – Sept. 2023
a construction site with construction equipment and trees
Demolition of former school building now complete – Sept. 2023
an expanse of concrete leads to two partially demolished buildings - one on each side - each has an excavator doing demolition
View of the demolition from the old parking lot – August 2023
a partially demolished building that is part brick. the brick part remains
Demolition of the east wing of the old building – August 2023
a partially demolished building. the remaining part of the building is two stories with a series of arched roofs
Demolition of the west wing of the old school – August 2023
a large expanse of soil with construction vehicles. there are evergreen trees in the background.
Looking south – Oct. 2023

Current Designs

This site plan below shows the planned layout for the campus and new school building. North is at the top of the image. The west boundary at 16th Avenue S. is to the left. S. Columbian Way is at the bottom.

site plan for a large space with a building, trees, and parking
drawing of the corner of a 3 story building with stairs leading to it
Design view of looking toward the entry from corner of S. Columbian Way and 16th Ave. S
drawing of a courtyard in the corner of two parts of a 2 story and 3 story building
Architects’ drawing of courtyard outside of classroom building
a large open 2 story interior space looking down over learning stairs to the floor with lunchtables
Architects’ drawing of the Commons
2 rooms with green walls have windows looking out to a common area with a pillar in it
Learning commons between 2 classrooms

Project Team

Construction Management: Shiels Obletz Johnsen, Inc. (SOJ)

SOJ Construction Manager: Justine Kim, justinek@sojsea.com, 206-838-3706

School Design: Bassetti Architects

General Contractor: Cornerstone General Contractors

Project Address

1600 S. Columbian Way, Seattle, WA 98108