University Cooperative School

ADAPTIVE REUSE — COMMUNITY — Education DESIGN — on-call architect

Seattle, washington

In 2025, the University Cooperative School (UCoop) became the first school to complete a retrofit and has been officially removed from the City of Seattle’s Unreinforced Masonry (URM) list. The project team completed the required work and documentation, ensuring the school meets the necessary standards, and updated its status on the City's list of structures previously requiring evaluation and potential retrofitting under the upcoming URM Ordinance.

CAST has worked for over a decade as the on-call architect for the University Cooperative School. UCoop is a progressive learning environment for pre-K through 5th grade in Seattle’s North University District community.

Our efforts with the school combine planning, design, and small-works projects. Beyond classroom renovations and additions, work also includes the renovation of their Early Learning Center to expand pre-K programs in the historic Maxwell Building.

Originally built in 1925, two major renovations of the former business tenant basement, at 8,800 square feet, transformed it into much-needed multipurpose, classroom, and staff areas. We reorganized the layout of spaces and circulation paths throughout the building to align with the school's unique curriculum. New structural and mechanical upgrades secure a conducive environment for students to learn and thrive.

Throughout the multi-year renovation process, CAST has demonstrated a sensitivity to and appreciation for the distinctive features of this historic building, celebrating its unique characteristics.

We are currently beginning the next phase of renovation.

Green design: Adaptive reuse, renovation - embodied carbon in existing construction, daylighting strategies, low VOC paints/finishes, greatly improved indoor air quality with energy recovery ventilators, Declare Red List Free rubber flooring