Bellevue Youth Theater

Bellevue, Washington

A Living Landscape for Performance and Sustainability

Nestled within the 34-acre Crossroads International Park, the Bellevue Youth Theatre is both a performance space and an environmental sculpture. Built into the existing hillside, the 12,000 SF facility is earth-sheltered, with the landscape flowing over its roof to preserve green space and blend seamlessly into the park. This integration not only enhances the site’s aesthetics but supports passive thermal stability and noise isolation—critical for a focused performance environment. Designed for a non-profit organization, the project emphasizes long-term value through durable, low-maintenance, and energy-efficient systems.

Ecotope provided mechanical design services that prioritized load reduction, thermal stability, and quiet operation. The project features a superinsulated concrete envelope paired with a vertical bore ground source heat pump system that delivers heating, cooling, and domestic hot water. Heat recovery ventilators minimize the need for additional conditioning, while the stable thermal mass of the building resists the rapid swings often caused by fluctuating occupancy. The final system is exceptionally quiet, requires only 16 tons of heat pump capacity, and is thoughtfully integrated into the architecture—resulting in a right-sized, low-cost solution with minimal energy use and operational demands.