About the New Campus Project
Q. Why does the foundation need a new headquarters?
A. We have outgrown our current office space, with employees spread out in five buildings in the South Lake Union and Cascade neighborhoods of Seattle. The new campus will bring us together, give us room to grow, and allow us to do our best work.
Q. Where is the new campus located?
A. The address of the new campus is 500 5th Ave N, in the heart of the city next to the Seattle Center. The area has a vibrant history as a regional and international gathering place—an appropriate location for the foundation to continue its work through regional and global programs.
Q. How large is the site?
A. The site, formerly a parking lot owned and operated by the City of Seattle, is approximately 12 acres.
Q. Will the foundation compete for parking with the Seattle Center?
A. No. The parking demands of the foundation and the Seattle Center are opposite—the foundation operates during work days, and the Seattle Center’s peak activity is typically on evenings and weekends.
Q. When will the foundation move to the new location?
A. We anticipate moving to the new campus in spring 2011.
Q. How much will the new campus cost?
A. The projected cost for the first phase of the project, which includes the two office buildings currently under construction, is $500 million.
Q. Does that money come out of the foundation’s grantmaking funds?
A. Construction of the new campus will not have an impact on our available grantmaking funds. Our top priority continues to be strategic grantmaking that will help millions of people around the world live healthy and productive lives.
Q. Will the new campus be open to the public?
A. While the foundation office buildings will be private, the new campus will have a visitor center and reception building, both accessible to the public. The public will also be able to look into the heart of the campus from an overlook located next to the Seattle Center 5th Ave N Garage.
Q. What will the new headquarters look like?
A. The design features two six-story office buildings with sweeping, outward-reaching arms (approximately 700,000 square feet—the basement and parking area under the campus will provide an additional 200,000 square feet); an open, airy environment with views into and through the campus; and extensive landscaping and green space. One of our design principles was to create a campus that feels integrated with the surrounding neighborhood.
Q. Who are the architects?
A. NBBJ designed the new campus. The firm has been working with us as part of a collaborative team that includes experts from Seneca Group (real estate development), Gustafson Guthrie Nichol Ltd. (landscape design), ARUP (engineering), Sellen Construction, and others.
Q. How many people will occupy the campus when it opens?
A. We anticipate close to 1,200 staff at move-in, although this number will depend on our programmatic needs at the time.
Q. Is sustainable design included in your planning?
A: The design and construction of the new campus comply with Seattle’s citywide policy on sustainable building, which emphasizes environmental and social stewardship. We anticipate achieving LEED gold certification (LEED: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design).
Some sustainable design features include:
- An under-floor air distribution system for ventilation — to conserve energy and facilitate future space modifications.
- A rainwater collection and storage system — to provide most of the water (annually up to 1.2 million gallons a year) for non-potable uses, including irrigation, water features, and toilets.
- A 1.4-acre living roof on the Seattle Center 5th Ave N Garage, as well as over half an acre of living roofs throughout the campus proper — to serve numerous purposes, including rainwater filtration and building insulation.
Q. What is IRIS Holdings LLC?
A. IRIS Holdings LLC, an affiliated entity of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is the purchaser and developer of the new campus project.
Q. When did construction begin on the site?
A. Groundbreaking for the Seattle Center 5th Ave N Garage, which is now owned and operated by the Seattle Center, occurred in January 2007. Following the completion and opening of the garage in July 2008, the first phase of construction began on the new campus. Groundbreaking for the new campus was July 22, 2008.
Q. What construction is happening on the site now?
A. The new campus construction site is constantly changing. We publish a quarterly newsletter to inform the interested public about construction milestones and neighborhood impact.
About the Visitor Center
Q. Why is the foundation building a visitor center?
A. Our location across the street from the Seattle Center will allow us to share our mission with a very broad public audience. The visitor center will provide the public an opportunity to explore the work of the foundation’s grantees and partners. It will also help us engage more effectively with the local community to build awareness and prompt action around the foundation’s mission.
Q. Where is the visitor center?
A. The visitor center is part of the Seattle Center 5th Ave N Garage structure. Construction of the shell of the visitor center was completed with the construction of the garage. The visitor center spans 5th Avenue between Republican and Harrison Streets.
Q. What will the visitor center be named?
A. For now, we are using the term “visitor center.” When the visitor center design and experience fully materialize, we will choose a name.
Q. What will the visitor center experience be like?
A. Our goal is to create an educational, inspiring, interactive experience for visitors. Exhibits will tell compelling stories grounded in data and knowledge about the problems we address and the progress being made locally, nationally, and globally. Visitor center experiences will be rooted in real time as much as possible.
Q. Who will design the visitor center?
A. We are developing the visitor center experience internally with design support from Olsen Kundig (formerly Olsen Sundberg Kundig Allen), an internationally renowned architectural design firm located in Seattle. We chose Olsen Kundig for its exceptional team and its design philosophy and practice, which give careful consideration to culture, stewardship, art, and the creation of community.
Q. Will there be a public space in the visitor center for events?
A. There may be occasions when the foundation works with grantees and community partners to host small-scale events at the center. However, there will not be a space for the public to use or rent.
Q. Will there be an educational program?
A. We are still developing our public programming strategy.
Q. Is the visitor center part of the foundation campus?
A. Yes. Although the visitor center is integrated into the structure of the Seattle Center 5th Ave N Garage, it is part of the foundation’s campus.
Q. When will the visitor center open?
A. The visitor center will open in summer 2011.
Q. How can I get additional information?
A. Please e-mail newcampus@gatesfoundation.org.
View the full New Campus Frequently Asked Questions (PDF, 109KB, 2 pages).