Ferry Terminal Opens in Washington State

The timber-framed building replaces a ferry terminal built in 1957 and is part of a larger $187 million project aimed at improving regional mobility. The Mukilteo-Clinton ferry route carries more than two million cars annually. With the new terminal building, the walk-on ridership is expected to expand greatly, due in large part to the location's proximity to commuter trains.

Aside from functional and transit issues, the project is notable for its form, which was inspired by the tribal longhouses built by Coast Salish tribes who occupied the land the terminal is built upon. The terminal's design involved the input of eleven tribal governments; tribal cultural motifs designed by Native American artists James Madison and Joe Gobin are on display on the exterior and inside the double-height waiting room. 

LMN Architects developed a sustainability plan for the brownfield site, a former fuel depot and pier, some of it geared to improving the water conditions that have been a fishing site for the Coast Salish tribes. The vehicle holding area, for instance, incorporates pervious concrete to collect stormwater and filter it through layers of sand before it is released into the waterway. The concrete-and-timber terminal building has numerous green features, including photovoltaic panels on the roof.

A video of the building's virtual ribbon cutting is at bottom.