The 500 Fifth Avenue North project marked a major milestone when the new design concept for the future Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation headquarters was presented at a public meeting on July 19, 2006.

Developed by NBBJ architects, the concept is intended to reflect both the foundation’s Seattle roots and its focus on reducing inequities and improving lives around the world. The design concept was shown at the Queen Anne/Magnolia Design Review Board meeting and incorporates feedback from two previous early design guidance reviews and several meetings with community group representatives.

From the beginning, the goal has been to create an effective workspace that embodies the foundation’s mission and aspirations and also is compatible with its urban setting. The new design concept features office buildings with sweeping, outward-reaching curves, an open, airy environment with views into and through the campus, and extensive landscaping and green space that knits the campus into the neighborhood. Plans for a visitor center also have been updated and are reflected in the new design concept.

The new campus will be developed in phases over 15 years, with the first phase expected to begin in 2008, after the Seattle Center 5th Avenue North Parking Garage is completed. (Garage construction is slated to begin in early 2007.)

Now that the concept has been unveiled, the next step is to develop the design in more detail. We anticipate additional feedback from the community and a fourth meeting with the Design Review Board. A collaborative team including real estate development experts from The Seneca Group, Gustafson Guthrie Nichol Ltd (landscape designers), NBBJ (architects), ARUP (engineers), Sellen Construction, and others continues to work with the foundation to bring the project to life.