June 4, 2024

Microsoft East Campus Modernization shortlisted for international honor

Photos by Garrett Rowland [enlarge]

New buildings at Microsoft’s East Campus are located around a central plaza.

The Urban Land Institute (ULI) recently announced the 18 finalists for its 2024 ULI Americas Awards for Excellence. This prestigious awards program was established in 1979 and recognizes projects in the real estate industry for excellence and achievements in marketplace acceptance, design, planning, technology, amenities, economic impact, management, community engagement, innovation, and sustainability.

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Each new office building has a light-filled atrium.

The program is open to projects in the Americas that are substantially complete, financially viable, and in operation.

Among this year's finalists is the Microsoft East Campus Modernization project which covers 72 acres at the tech giant's Redmond headquarters, and comprises multiple elements, new buildings and amenities, which have replaced aging structures.

Microsoft began planning for the modernization nearly a decade ago. Construction began in 2018 with demolition of 13 original campus structures to pave the way for new office buildings and facilities that would better meet the demands of modern work.

The company says the modernization is substantially completed. The city of Redmond lists a final completion date of mid-2025. A total of 17 new buildings are planned as part of the refresh, divided into five distinct villages.

Completed portions include seven office buildings of four to five stories in an urban-inspired, pedestrian- and bike-friendly setting that's fully ADA accessible and a central plaza that serves as the heart of the renovated campus.

Also completed are a series of mass timber parking portals that lead to a new underground four-level parking garage, and the Thermal Energy Center. The energy center is a centralized geothermal heating and cooling system that powers campus buildings and provides a sustainable alternative to traditional central utility plants. A 120,000-square-foot food hall opened at the campus this spring to serve the more than 6,000 employees working at East Campus.

The East Campus is located across state Route 520 from Microsoft's West Campus. The campuses are now connected by a 1,100-foot-long bike/pedestrian overpass that opened in April.

A consortium of architects and general contractors have worked together to design and build the East Campus Modernization. The team includes architecture firms LMN, NBBJ, WRNS Studio and ZGF Architects; general contractors Skanska, Balfour Beatty, GLY and Sellen; and lead landscape architect Berger Partnership with OLIN. CBRE, JLL and OAC Services Inc. are providing project management for the redevelopment.

The ULI had this to say about the shortlisted project: “In both form and function, Microsoft's East Campus helps weave together people with one another and with their environment, enhancing Microsoft's culture of collaboration, innovation, and community.”

Microsoft is pursuing ILFI Zero Carbon and LEED Platinum certifications for the East Campus and has already received Salmon Safe certification.

The East Campus Modernization was the only project in Washington to be shortlisted for a ULI Americas Award for Excellence this year. The Seattle Convention Center Summit building received a special mention.

The Awards for Excellence winners will be announced in July. Those projects will then be entered as finalists for the ULI Global Awards for Excellence and will compete against projects from the Europe and Asia Pacific regions.

The full list of ULI Americas Awards for Excellence finalists is at https://tinyurl.com/ULIAmericas2024.