About the New Campus Project
Q. Why is the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation building a new headquarters?
A. We chose Seattle as the site for our headquarters to ensure the foundation remains firmly rooted in Pacific Northwest values as our global outlook expands. The new campus, located across from the Seattle Center, will be the home of the foundation for the long term, a century or more. We are currently spread out in five office buildings in the South Lake Union and Cascade neighborhoods. The new campus will bring the foundation’s Seattle area staff together to work more effectively.
Q. Where is the new campus site located?
A. The address is 500 Fifth Ave North, just east of the Seattle Center. Many consider this area at the base of Queen Anne Hill to be the heart of Seattle. It has a long history as a regional and international gathering place—an appropriate location for the foundation to continue its outreach through regional and global programs.
Q. What will be built on the new campus?
A. The complete 12-acre campus will feature three office buildings with sweeping, outward-reaching arms. The six-story buildings total approximately 1.3 million square feet. An open, airy environment will provide views into and through the campus. Extensive landscaping and green space will knit the campus into the neighborhood. Public art will be installed on the Fifth Avenue side of the campus.
The campus will also have a visitor’s center, a convening space for foundation gatherings, and underground parking.
Q. How will the campus benefit surrounding neighborhoods?
A. The campus is designed to complement the surrounding neighborhood and create a pleasing and interesting experience for the public – through artwork along Fifth Avenue, pedestrian-friendly views into the visitor center, and harmonious landscaping around the campus. We are working with community leaders, and local and state transportation officials, to help improve traffic.
We anticipate about 1,200 employees and partners will occupy the new campus at move in. Together with visitors, they can be expected to frequent neighboring businesses and some may chose to live nearby. We believe the campus will be a hub for the growing number of advocates and experts from all over the world who are driving innovation in global health, economic development, and education.
Q. Will foundation employees and visitors be competing for parking space with Seattle Center patrons?
A. Together with the city of Seattle, we constructed a 1,000-space parking garage across from the Seattle Center. As part of the use agreement, 300 stalls are reserved for the foundation to lease during daytime hours on work days. The entire garage will be open to the public on evenings and weekends – the time of highest demand for Seattle Center events. An additional 400 parking spaces for foundation use will be available under the campus proper.
Q. When will the foundation move to the new location?
A. We anticipate moving to the new campus in spring 2011.
Q. Will the new campus be open to the public?
A. The public spaces on the new campus will be a visitor center and a parking garage. The visitor center will serve as a window through which Seattle residents and visitors can learn more about our grantees’ work and the progress being made – locally, nationally and globally – on issues affecting the world’s most vulnerable populations.
About Sustainable Design
Q. Is sustainable design included in your planning?
A: The new campus was designed and is being constructed according to Seattle’s policy for sustainable construction. The policy emphasizes environmental and social stewardship. We are seeking LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold certification.
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.
- More than a half an acre of living roofs (including the 1.4-acre roof on the garage, which the foundation owns and maintains) will serve multiple purposes, including rainwater filtration and building insulation.
The campus will also feature green open spaces and plentiful natural lighting. Safe and healthy materials – emphasizing, for example, sustainably harvested woods – are being used in construction.
The Seattle Center 5th Avenue N Garage, which was built through a public-private partnership between the City of Seattle and the foundation, has achieved LEED Gold certification. The foundation passed ownership of the garage to the Seattle Center upon its completion in 2008.
About the Visitor Center
Q. Why is the foundation building a visitor center?
A. The 11,000-square-foot visitor center will provide a unique opportunity to highlight the work of our grantees and to inspire people to get involved in solving the challenge of ensuring all people – locally, nationally, and globally – have the chance to lead a healthy and productive life.
Q. When will the visitor center open?
A. The visitor center will open in 2011.
Q. What will the visitor experience be like?
A. Interactive exhibits will tell compelling stories, grounded in facts and first-hand knowledge, about our world’s most vulnerable populations. The exhibits will change regularly. For visitors who are inspired to take action, we will also provide information about how to make connections that match their individual passions and interests.
Q. Will there be a public space in the visitor center for events?
A. Some small-scale foundation events may be held in the visitor center from time to time, but the space is not designed for receptions or other events. The foundation expects to rent public spaces at the Seattle Center and other venues for larger events.
Q. How can I get additional information?
A. Please e-mail newcampus@gatesfoundation.org.