Historical Restoration
Trace Lofts
Architect: Johnson Architecture + Planning
Engineer: Swenson Say Faget
Owner: Trace Lofts LLC
ABC members: Advanced Fire Protection, SME Inc., Ralph's Concrete Pumping, Evergreen Concrete Cutting, Rainbow Federal, Kodo Construction, Northshore Paving, ReNu (Nuprecon)
Rafn Co. won its third consecutive Eagle of Excellence award with another historical renovation in Seattle, this time for the Trace Lofts project. Last year, the Bellevue contractor took the top honor with the Trinity Parish Church project and in 2006 won with the Morrison Hotel renovation.
The Trace Lofts project was a $9.5 million restoration of a 1919 warehouse into 42 loft-style condominiums. Rafn preserved the character of the structure while adding modern elements.
Johnson Architecture + Planning designed the renovation to resemble an antique dresser, with a two-story glass-and-steel addition sitting atop the building like a jewelry box — blending the past and present. The design also used exposed brick walls and HVAC systems to integrate the modern and historical elements.
Demolishing the roof to add the two stories was a delicate process because the roof helped support the building's walls. Rafn used a pipe bracing system to stabilize the walls during the roof demolition. The pipes stayed in place until the new fourth floor deck was complete.
Decks for the new fourth and fifth floors were made from 4-by-6 car decking that was special-ordered from a mill in British Columbia to match the historic car decking in the building. Crews installed built-up acoustical floors and used floor joists filled with insulation to reduce noise between units.
Because Trace Lofts is a historical masonry building, it required a complete seismic upgrade. Rafn installed structural steel moment frames and heavy timbers throughout the structure, including the new floors. Other seismic upgrades included ties at all major joints.
Parking for the project is shared with the adjacent 12th and Madison condominiums, developed by the same owner. Excavation for the underground garage required crews to install a 115-foot-long concrete grade beam beneath an existing unreinforced masonry wall. The wall was stabilized with 13 soldier piles and the soil was excavated to a depth of 9 feet below the existing slab. Workers then built a 115-foot-long, 3-foot-tall rebar cage for the beam and tied the cage into a new concrete shear wall above.
Preserving the historic character of the building, which included a group of Tibetan monks and a sewing machine company as past tenants, was paramount to the project's success. More than 25,000 square feet of pre-finished flooring was reclaimed from historic buildings around the country and more than 450 bricks removed from Trace Loft's exterior are features in some of the new units. Quilted steel fire doors were reused to separate the living and sleeping areas, and number plates for the condos were made from vintage sewing machine foot pedals.
The project earned a Built Green two star rating. Some of the green elements include compact florescent light bulbs in public areas, water-conserving plumbing fixtures and natural lighting within the units.
Rafn created a job-site recycling plan for cardboard, metal scrap, wood, drywall, roofing materials and florescent lights. All subcontractors were required to follow the plan, with a goal of recycling 60 percent of construction waste. With the help of ReNu, 66 percent of the waste was recycled.
Rafn had no time-loss injuries while working 40,112 hours.