Project Blueshift was completed in three distinct phases on an accelerated schedule to renovate a 475,500 s.f. historic building in downtown Seattle retail space into offices, labs, and food service which resulted in a substantial alteration.

The project was full of incredible opportunities. The former retail building boasted floor plates of more than 80,000 square feet, historic details, and a roof deck. Our program included the usual open-office and conferencing areas, plus many break-out work spaces, employee lounges, research and development laboratories, and two cafes, one complete with a pizza oven.

Massive Floor Plates

With the massive scale of the floor-plates, the design team needed to make a significant move to foster the collaboration, connection, and community core to the client’s mission. SABA proposed saw-cutting the floor slabs and designing a large communicating stair that connected five floors of offices as a way to help the space feel more open and encourage employees to explore different floors.