Campus will anchor the Seattle Center and feature innovative "green"
design
SEATTLE, July 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Melinda Gates, along with
Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels and more than 500 guests, will mark the
groundbreaking this morning for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's new
headquarters. The new headquarters -- located at 500 Fifth Ave N across
from Seattle's Space Needle -- will feature environmentally-responsible
design and a state-of-the-art visitor center. The campus will serve as
headquarters for the foundation's work to reduce inequities in the United
States and around the world.
"The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is proud to call Seattle home, and
we are pleased to build our global headquarters in this extraordinary
city," said Gates Foundation co-chair Melinda Gates. "Our new campus will
be an important base for our work with our partners in Seattle and
worldwide."
The new campus is scheduled to open in late 2010. Last year the
foundation granted more than $2 billion through its three main giving areas
-- Global Health, Global Development, and its United States Program. In
Washington state alone, the foundation, to date, has granted nearly $1
billion to organizations that help the state's most vulnerable children and
families. Its new campus will allow the foundation to grow and collaborate
in ways which will expand its work here and abroad. The visitor center is
scheduled to open in 2011.
Designed by global architecture firm NBBJ, the $500 million campus will
be built by Sellen Construction. It features an open, airy office
environment that will foster a collaborative working environment. In
keeping with Seattle's citywide sustainable building commitment, the
project aims to achieve LEED Gold certification (Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design) by incorporating a number of "green" design elements.
"The Gates Foundation's new campus will embody two Seattle ideals --
environmental stewardship and creating healthy communities for all," said
Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels. "The campus will be a great addition to the
Seattle Center, and to our city."
Construction of one of the new headquarters' greenest elements -- the
1.5 acre living roof of a parking garage owned and operated by Seattle
Center -- is already complete. The largest of its kind in Seattle, the
roof's plantings will provide a natural habitat for birds and will
eventually be sustained through rainwater. In addition, extensive green
spaces with sustainable landscaping will knit the campus with its
neighborhood and further reduce the facility's eco-footprint.
The Gates Foundation's new headquarters will also include a 15,000
square foot visitor center where the general public can learn more about
the organization's work to reduce inequities in the Pacific Northwest and
around the world. Designed by Ralph Appelbaum & Associates, the visitor
center will provide guests with an in-depth look at the issues the
foundation champions, providing them with opportunities to learn how they
can get involved in solving problems globally and in local communities.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill &
Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive
lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people's health and
giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme
poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people --
especially those with the fewest resources -- have access to the
opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle,
the foundation is led by CEO Patty Stonesifer and co-chair William H. Gates
Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation New Campus Fact Sheet
-- A groundbreaking ceremony for the new campus was held on July 22,
2008.
-- The 900,000-square-foot campus is comprised of two six-story office
buildings, an entrance pavilion, a convening center, and a visitor center.
The height of the office buildings is 85 feet; the size of the property is
12 acres.
-- The campus is expected to be completed at the end of 2010.
-- The foundation is targeting LEED (LEED = Leadership in Energy and
Environmental Design) gold certification for the campus. Some of the
sustainable elements include:
-- An underfloor air distribution system for ventilation which
conserves energy and facilitates future space modifications.
-- A rainwater collection and storage system providing most of the
water for non-potable uses, including irrigation, water features
and toilets.
-- Living roof areas which serve a number of purposes, including
rainwater filtration, microclimate cooling and building insulation.
-- Air cooled chillers and thermal energy storage which conserve
water and capitalize on lower off peak air temperatures.
-- Parking for foundation employees will be located under the campus
and in the adjacent Seattle Center 5th Ave N Garage.
-- A 15,000-square-foot visitor center will be part of the new campus.
Open to the public, the center will shed light on the inequities the
foundation focuses on, and inspire people to get engaged in solving
problems globally and in their own communities. Ralph Appelbaum Associates
(RAA) is designing the visitor experience. The largest interpretive museum
design firm in the world, RAA designed the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum
in Washington, D.C., and most recently the Clinton Library in Little Rock,
Arkansas.
-- The cost of new campus is $500 million.
-- Campus amenities include artwork and seating along 5th Avenue North
between Harrison Street and Mercer Avenue.
|
