Masonry Magazine July 1978 Page. 9
The Spokane County Health Building is designed for future expansion to double its present floor area. The domed towers in each corner of the structure house mechanical systems and elevators.
Spokane Health Building Has Versatile And Stunning Masonry Design
Architect: Warren Cummings Heylman & Associates
General Contractor: Gus J. Bouten
Mason Contractor: Schoultz Masonry Company
Mason Panel Contractor: Barkshire Brothers
Photography: Photography Unlimited
(Left) Inside the Health Bulding, a four-story atrium lets in sunlight and echoes the brick masonry details of the exterior. The new building provides 97,000 square feet of space for a variety of functions.
The new Spokane County (Washington) Health Building is an example of how an architect can use brick masonry to design for the uncertain future demands of a growing local government. Architects Warren Cummings Heylman & Associates were asked to design a building that could expand to double its initial floor space, both by growing horizontally and by adding an additional floor on top. General contractor Gus J. Bouten of Spokane, with mason contractor William F. Schoultz and subcontractor Barkshire Brothers, executed the design in brick.
Prefabricated brick spandrels and columns figure prominently in the design. The domed towers at each corner of the new Health Building house elevators and mechanical systems-placed at the periphery of the building to facilitate future expansion.
When the need for expansion arises, two additional towers will be built south of the present structure, and interior partitions-specifically designed for flexibility-will be removed to link the existing building with the new floor areas.
The building's 97,000 square feet of area house the Spokane County Department of Social and Health Services, including offices, examining and clinical rooms, treatment and support facilities, a small cafeteria, and an auditorium. There is extensive below-ground parking.
The center of the building is an open atrium running the entire height of the structure.
MASONRY/JULY, 1978 9