Frequently Asked Questions About Our New Campus

About the New Campus Project | About the Visitor Center

About the New Campus Project

Q. Why does the Gates Foundation need a new headquarters?

A. In 2004, Bill & Melinda recognized the need for a permanent home for the foundation where everyone could work together in one place. Our current staff is spread out in five leased buildings throughout the South Lake Union area.

The Gates family is deeply committed to the foundation’s work and to the Pacific Northwest. The campus will promote creative and collaborative work among our staff and the thousands of grantees, partners, and leaders who share the goal of helping every person have the opportunity to live a healthy, productive life.

Q. Where is the new campus located?

A. The campus is located in the heart of the city, next to the Seattle Center. The address is 500 5th Avenue North.

Q. When will you move into the new campus?

A. We are moving in the Spring of 2011. The Visitor Center opens on February 4, 2012.

Q. How big is the campus?

A. The campus includes 900,000 square feet in two six-story office buildings. It sits on 12 acres. The campus was built as a long-term investment to ensure it remains a viable, efficient workplace for today and in decades to come. It is designed to last 100 years. In contrast, most office buildings are designed for 20-30 years.

Q. How many people work at the new campus?

A. About 1,000 people will work at the campus when we are completely moved in at the end of May. The first two buildings will accommodate up to 1,500 employees and on-site partners.

Q. What public access will there be at the new campus?

A. Our Visitor Center will open on February 4, 2012. It will showcase the innovative work of grantees and give people a chance to see the progress being made in addressing some of the world’s most difficult challenges.

Like most office spaces, the buildings will not be open to the public. Our new campus is a workspace for more than 1,000 people on a daily basis.

Q. Why are you building a Visitor Center -- when does it open?

A. The Visitor Center, which opens on February 4, 2012, will be an inspirational destination for tourists and an important community asset. Exhibits will showcase challenges and progress being made globally and domestically to help all people live healthy productive lives—in Seattle, and throughout the world.

Visitors will explore innovative new technologies and programs that our grantees have developed to address some of the biggest challenges in global health, development, and U.S. education.

Q. What is the total cost of the new campus?

A. The total design and construction cost for the new campus is $500 million. Bill and Melinda made a personal contribution of $350 million in 2009 to off-set the construction cost of the new campus.

Q. When will you build the third building?

A. As is often the case with projects this complex, the timeline for construction of another building is not certain. It will depend on the need. The third building will be located to the east of the two existing buildings.

Q. Is there conference space at the campus that can be used by foundation grantees or the public?

A. We will host hundreds of meetings a year in the conference center, and will bring in participants ranging from global leaders to Seattle community grantees for foundation-hosted events. We are not able to provide space for the meetings and gatherings of outside organizations.

Q. Are environmental features built into the new campus?

A: Sustainability is a key driver in our grantmaking and this is true for the new campus as well.
The campus was built as a sustainable, energy efficient, and LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) accredited project. The Seattle Center 5th Avenue North Garage has attained LEED Gold Certification, and the foundation buildings have achieved LEED Platinum.

Our energy model indicates a 34 percent reduction in overall energy use over an unimproved baseline building.

Sustainable features include::

An under-floor air distribution system for ventilation, which conserves energy and facilitates future space modifications
A one million-gallon rainwater storage system used for irrigation, water features, and toilets
Several living roofs, which reduce runoff, moderate wide temperature swings, filter air, and provide a habitat for birds and insects

Q. What sort of art does the campus feature?

A. Visitors will see art work from around the world, including the Pacific Northwest. For example, a local poet is included in a collection of poetry inscribed atop walls surrounding the campus, and a local artist, Marie Watt, is creating a sculpture using ‘blankets’ for the reception area.

The foundation is committed to the arts as a key part of a strong community. We are proud to help display public art on one of the building’s exterior walls along 5th Avenue as well as in the reception area.

About the Visitor Center

Q: Why did the foundation build a Visitor Center?

A. Every day, we are inspired by the innovative work our grantees and partners do. Our Visitor Center is a place to showcase innovation and motivate and inspire other people to take action—in their own unique ways—to improve lives.
Exhibits highlight some of the world’s toughest challenges and progress being made globally and domestically to help all people—from Seattle to South Africa—live healthy, productive lives.
We hope visitors are optimistic about our world’s future and motivated to explore their own, unique role in shaping it. There are dozens of hands-on, interactive activities where people can touch, play and focus on what interests them most. People can explore their own solutions and share their ideas with other visitors, and even use the Center’s technology tools to share their ideas with family and friends.
Our Visitor Center offers a place where people can be part of conversations about important global and local issues—whether they are sharing their own ideas and solutions using one of the center’s many interactive tools, or they are participating in a program dialogue with issue experts or foundation staff.

Q: What will I see at the Visitor Center?

A: The Visitor Center is a place where people can explore new, innovative work to address some of the world’s tough challenges. Visitors can expect a very interactive experience—they can learn about the Gates family’s commitments and where the foundation has focused its giving, and visitors can touch, explore and share their own ideas through some of the Center’s exhibits and technology tools.
There is something in the Visitor Center for everyone—you don’t have to be a scientist to dive into some of the most complex issues. We offer hands-on experiences so that people can see for themselves how innovative tools are helping improve lives around the world.
For school or other groups and the public, we will host programs, tours, demonstrations, and presentations as additional opportunities to engage with foundation staff, grantees, and experts.

Q: How often will exhibits change?

A: Every time someone visits, they have the opportunity to share their own ideas and solutions for improving lives around the world. In this way, the interactive gallery is constantly being refreshed to highlight visitors’ new ideas and contributions.
Our theater hosts a rotating slate of foundation videos and presentations. In addition, we will host a number of public talks and events this year that build on current exhibits and key milestones in the foundation’s work. For example, this summer in association with events being hosted at the Seattle Center, we will feature some dynamic work being done to address sanitation and hygiene—demonstrating work to “reinvent the toilet.” While most of the exhibits will not rotate frequently, the experience someone has each time they visit can differ dramatically because of visitors’ unique contributions. We also hope that repeat visits will inspire a deeper connection to the work.

Q: How will the Visitor Center grow or expand in the future?

A: In the near future, we hope that the Visitor Center will be a resource on global and local issues for people who visit in person and in other ways. With the addition of new online elements, people from around the world will be able to share the Visitor Center experience, and will be able to connect with other visitors to exchange their own ideas and solutions.

Q. Can I visit your offices when I come to the Visitor Center?

A: We are really excited our Visitor Center is opening on February 4 to the public. This Center will showcase the innovative work of grantees and give people a chance to see the progress being made in addressing some of the world’s most difficult challenges. Like most office spaces, the inside of our campus is used by employees and guests who come for meetings. It provides workspace for some 1,200 people on a daily basis and there is no public space.

Q: Who designed the Visitor Center?

A: Gates Foundation staff developed the Visitor Center experience with design support from Olson Kundig (formerly Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen), an internationally renowned architectural design firm located in Seattle. We chose Olson Kundig for its design philosophy and practice, which give careful consideration to culture, the integration of architecture and exhibit design, stewardship, and the creation of community. The Visitor Center’s building is LEED Gold and wherever possible, we used locally-sourced materials to minimize environmental impact. For example, we built benches and some of the exhibit structures out of reclaimed ash wood that was destined for the landfill.

Q: How much did it cost to build the Visitor Center?

A: It cost $15 million to design, construct, and develop content for the Visitor Center.

Q: Can the Visitor Center be used for public or grantee events?

A: There may be occasions when the foundation works with grantees and community partners to host small-scale events at the center. We do not anticipate use by grantees or the public for private functions.

Q: What are the Visitor Center hours?