Collaboration at Every Level

Tacoma Community College Center for Innovative Learning and Engagement (CILE)

Tacoma, WA

Gateway to Learning

The CILE is a programmatic and physical gateway that connects students with peers, faculty and staff; provides access to contemporary learning environments; and opens doors to new career pathways. The building’s two classroom wings orient the building’s entry plaza and active student spaces diagonally towards the central campus quad and views of Mt. Rainier.

Creating Connections, Fostering Engagement

Multimedia labs and flexible classrooms support diverse pedagogies including hands-on learning to promote innovation in the digital arts and music, anthropology, business, humanities and the social sciences. Faculty offices are distributed to make professors more accessible, and welcoming study spaces are tuned for independent and group work — fostering essential skills and lifelong learning for a diverse student body, many of whom are first-generation college students.

Visible Environmental Stewardship

The building showcases environmental responsibility through tangible features including an 80kW solar array, real-time performance dashboard and interpretive signage. Optimized daylighting and a tight building envelope ensure responsible resource use, while native plantings create an attractive, low-maintenance landscape.