July 5, 2018

4 architects, 4 contractors win Microsoft campus rebuild project

Microsoft image [enlarge]

Twelve buildings from the 1980s will be replaced by 18 new structures at the Redmond headquarters.

Microsoft on Tuesday announced the teams that will design and build its campus modernization, adding nearly 3 million square feet of new workspace on 72 acres of the tech giant's Redmond campus.

The architects are LMN Architects, NBBJ, WRNS Studio and ZGF Architects. Berger Partnership is the lead landscape architect and Olin will assist.

General contractors are Skanska, Balfour Beatty, GLY Construction and Sellen Construction.

Project management will be handled by CBRE, JLL and OAC Services.

Construction of the new buildings is expected to start later this year and be completed in 2022. Eighteen new buildings are planned, ranging from 180,000 to 220,000 square feet, and clustered into four villages.

This is part of a multi-year campus modernization project announced in 2017, which will create new office space, public amenities and infrastructure.

Last year the company said the goal is to accommodate another 8,000 workers on the campus.

In addition to the new space, about 6.7 million square feet of existing space will be renovated. A dozen buildings constructed in the 1980s that total about 1.2 million square feet will be removed to make room for new buildings.

A Microsoft news release on Tuesday said the new buildings will be four to five stories tall, and designed to encourage physical activity and interaction between employees.

Natural light will be channeled into workspaces, atriums and courtyards.

Microsoft President Brad Smith last fall said the buildings will be centered on a new 2-acre plaza that can accommodate events for up to 12,000 people. He said this will give the campus more of an urban vibe.

The revamped campus will be done about a year before Sound Transit finishes the East Link light rail extension. East Link includes a new station and a pedestrian/bike bridge over state Route 520 that will connect the east and west sides of campus. Microsoft is kicking in $33.3 million for the station and bridge.

The news release said the campus will be organized for pedestrians and bicyclists to emphasize health, movement and amenities. Vehicular traffic — including drop-off and parking areas — will be on the periphery and in underground parking garages.

New sports fields and recreation trails will dot the area, including a cricket field.