Grays Harbor College – Manspeaker Instructional Building

The Manspeaker Instructional Building is a four-floor educational building including a penthouse. The project was built on the college’s hilltop area for a variety of functional and aesthetic reasons. First, the location was chosen so that other buildings on campus would not have to be torn down, allowing for sequencing of projects in such a way that classes could still be in session while construction on the new facility was underway. Second, building the facility on the hill restored the view of the college and the City of Aberdeen. Lastly, the Manspeaker Building connects the upper campus to the lower campus more effectively. Absher hired several Grays Harbor College students to participate in the project by making gabion baskets that become retaining walls.