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UW Medicine Phase I
Challenges:
- To meet the needs of UW Medicine's growing research programs and consolidate critically important research activities in a state-of-the-art facility under a very short timeframe.
- To attract an anchor research institution to South Lake Union that enhances the critical mass of life sciences research organizations now migrating to the neighborhood.
Strategies:
- Transform and renovate an existing four-story, 105,000-square-foot building (former Washington Natural Gas headquarters) into a new state-of-the-art center tailored to the specific needs of a pioneering research organization.
- Worked with UW Medicine to develop a phased expansion plan that could total more than 800,000 square feet upon completion of all phases.
- Worked with Washington State legislators and UW to change Washington State law to allow UW to enter into a long-term building lease, which then enabled the building's non-profit owner to issue long-term bonds to finance the facility's construction at a time when long-term rates were extremely low. This cost savings was passed back to UW in the form of lower rent.
Results:
- Completed in December 2004 on time and under budget, the renovation resulted in a cutting-edge research center that provides open lab space that is filled with natural daylight, convivial common areas for scientific collaboration, as well as a healthy, efficient work environment that enhances employee productivity.
- Approximately 300 UW researchers and employees work at the renovated facility. Research groups include a team investigating cardiovascular disease and a team focused on women's health that is researching cancer vaccines and other methods of preventing and treating women's cancers.
- UW Medicine's presence in South Lake Union further contributes to a vibrant research community and builds upon the collaborative efforts of several world-class scientific leaders already in the neighborhood, including Seattle Biomedical Research Institute, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Rosetta Inpharmatics/Merck, Children's Hospital and Regional Medical Center, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and ZymoGenetics.
- Shortly after the renovation of UW Medicine's new research facility, UW chose to move forward with the second phase of its research hub, which is currently under construction and scheduled for occupancy in June 2008. The second phase will include a 188,000-square-foot laboratory as well as a 96,000-square-foot office building that will be home to nearly 900 UW scientists and employees.
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