May 22, 2017

Allen Institute wins a Lab of the Year award

Photo by Lara Swimmer [enlarge]

R&D Magazine honored the Allen Institute in Seattle in its 2017 Laboratory of the Year awards program.

The project won a High Honors award. Vulcan developed and owns the Allen Institute, which is at 615 Westlake Ave. N.

The Francis Crick Institute in London, submitted by HOK, won Laboratory of the Year. Go to http://tiny.cc/t80vky for all the winners.

The Seattle office of Perkins + Will was the architect, interior designer and lab planner for the Allen Institute. GLY Construction was the general contractor.

The six-story, 270,000-square-foot building opened in 2015. It has dry and wet labs, a data center, auditorium, collaborative work spaces, 9,000 square feet of retail and four levels of underground parking.

Energy from the data center helps heat the building, and a rainwater cistern recycles water for landscaping.

Vulcan incorporated parts of two historic buildings into the institute: the Ford McKay and Pacific McKay auto showrooms.

In a press release, Perkins+Will said the design embodies the institute's research philosophy. The design broke down the typical barriers in research environments to foster team science and advance brain research.

The space is organized in “petals” arrayed around a central atrium that visually and spatially connects activities, and maximizes daylight and views. Perkins+Will said this brings groups together and exposes research activities with transparent labs that can be viewed from the interior and exterior.

Also on the team are BOLA Architecture + Planning, preservation architect; Coughlin Porter Lundeen, civil engineer; Affiliated Engineers, electrical and mechanical; Glumac, energy consulting and energy modeling; McKinstry, mechanical; Valley Electric, electrical; GeoEngineers, geotechnical; Stantec, lighting, acoustical and vibration, and audiovisual; RDH Building Science, envelope consultant; Aegis Engineering, CDF smoke; ISEC, lab casework manufacturer; Labconco, lab fume hoods manufacturer; and Systems Source, furniture manufacturer.