400 Westlake
The Project
One of the first projects in Seattle’s Living Building Pilot program—and as of now, the largest—400 Westlake stands among the most sustainable projects of its size anywhere. The 16-story office tower is designed to generate 105% of the energy it consumes.
About
Lewis preserved the 1929 Firestone Building's façade with innovative shoring and foundation systems, restored historic plasterwork, and supported the client’s bold sustainability vision through energy-positive design and Living Building Petal Certification.
Location
Seattle, Washington
Client
Martin Selig Real Estate
Awards
- CoStar, Commercial Development of the Year for Seattle/Puget Sound, 2023
- NAIOP Washington State, Night of the Stars, Sustainable Development of the Year, 2023
Preserving the façade
As a historic Seattle landmark nestled in the heart of South Lake Union, the façade of the building is being preserved as a new, super-green 16-story office building built within the existing structure.
From the street, the façade preservation at 400 Westlake looked fairly simple. It wasn't anything but. Lewis installed a series of braces along each face, creating a supportive triangle between the upper façade, lower façade, and a temporary footing in the ground. These braces support the façade until the new structure is permanently attached to the existing one, and to the naked eye, each brace looks identical to the next.
Read more(Link opens in new window)Project News
Headlines like 400 Westlake project.
Two Higher-Ed Projects Leveraging Progressive-Design Build
The Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce recently featured a pair of Lewis projects in the publication’s annual Higher Education special section.
Opening this winter quarter, Innovation Hall is set to be the first academic building in the nation shared by a university (University of Washington-Bothell) and a college (Cascadia College). Writing in the DJC, Lewis’ Brian Aske and Mithun partners Walter Schact and Lana Lisitsa outline how a progressive design-build approach maximized space for instruction and research while reflecting a commitment to sustainability and community-building.
In another article, Lewis’ Joshua Thomson and ZGF Architects principal Sara Howell highlight Washington State University’s Schweitzer Engineering Hall, the catalyst project for a future engineering and design district in Pullman.
Read more:
- Geekwire: University of Wash. Bothell and Cascadia College celebrate new STEM-focused Innovation Hall
- Everett Herald: New science, math facility opens in January at UW Bothell
- 425 Magazine: A Win for STEM Education in Bothell
- Puget Sound Business Journal: UW Bothell, Cascadia College unveil $79M Innovation Hall
Collaboration and Trust Build Team Culture at the Hans Rosling Center for Population Health
Last month, the team behind the Design-Build Institute of America’s 2021 Project of the Year—the Hans Rosling Center for Population Health—sat down with Kim Wright on the Design-Build Delivers podcast to discuss what made the project was so successful.
The striking building, hosting three different public health organizations, is the culmination of three years of work by the project team, including the Miller Hull Partnership and Lease Crutcher Lewis, under UW’s progressive design-build contract.
Preserving the Facade at 400 Westlake
The Firestone Building has stood on the corner of Westlake and Harrison since 1929. At nearly 100 years old, it’s got some stories to tell. As a highly-valued historic Seattle landmark nestled in the heart of South Lake Union, the façade of the building is being preserved as a new, super-green 16-story office building is being built within the existing structure, by Lewis and developer Martin Selig Real Estate.