-By AnnMarie Marano, Photography by Benjamin Benschneider

Before the Seattle Children's Research Institute was completed in May, the organization had some pretty lofty aspirations. One in particular was to jump from being the 12th ranking research institute in the country to one of the top five. And thanks to the renovation of this 11-story, 212,000-sq.-ft. former bio-tech building (with six lab floors and five research centers), it achieved just that. It is by no coincidence that Children's is now ranked fifth among top research institutes in the United States, following an NBBJ redesign of the building that brought color, light, and interactivity to a profession that sometimes can be home to spaces that are stark and downright drab.

"We wanted to maximize our program on the floors and to make it dense, but still cohesive," says Victoria Cleator, senior director of research facilities at Children's. "The challenge was with that much density, we wanted the space to be more attractive by using lots of borrowed light and color."

According to Elizabeth Gordon, a lead designer at Seattle-based NBBJ, "color became an important tool for creating spaces that felt good to be in—less clinical." Just a few examples lie in the raspberry pink of the 10th floor and the tomato red on the sixth. As Children's was recruiting new researchers during construction, NBBJ was designing a space to help a brand new team that needed to forge great relationships and forge them quickly. "This use of color is a powerful tool in that regard," says Brad Leathley, AIA, principal-in-charge of design, NBBJ. "All the light, color, and functional outfitting that people who come to the space day after day see really suits the way that they think and work." NBBJ also made sure that all the daylight the floor plan had to offer was utilized, connecting pathways whenever possible with views to the outside.

Adding to the collaborative ethic were communal spaces that could be flexible in use. On some floors, a large conference room opens up to a lounge space, allowing the entire area to be extremely versatile by holding events or serving as one large lounge. "One of the most interesting things is that unlike a lot of other design out there, the collaboration spaces are directly in the path of the work," explains Leathley. "So that allows the whole social ecology of the floor to unfold naturally from most public to most private spaces." It also leaves no space unused. Many areas were even clad with writable surfaces to promote impromptu brainstorming sessions and further enhance the utility of every single plane and angle. "That kind of intensity of use really facilitates great relationship building and teamwork. It puts people in contact with each other very quickly," Leathley adds.

The team also placed amenities and conference spaces on the office side of floors directly adjacent to connection points (like coffee break areas). There are additional breakout spaces within the labs, too, as well as unusually large benches and a communal sink wall that runs down the length of the lab floor—again forcing interaction. The communal attitude traveled all the way down to the lobby, also part of the NBBJ renovation. A conference room was placed behind the reception desk, along with a seating area just outside it that can be used as overflow for events or as a general sitting and gathering area.

NBBJ and Children's had such a good working relationship that the collaboration didn't stop with the research facility. After the project was done, NBBJ went on to create—from the ground up—a traveling "science bus." This portable lab is geared toward bringing science to elementary school students. "We were able to implement the design thinking that originated in the research institute and build it into a portable bus that will travel around Washington State," says Gordon. "It's taking the science to those who can't get to Children's."

In the end both client and designer were thrilled with the end product, which was completed both on time and under budget. "We had a client who had a great appreciation for the design process," Gordon says. "There was full collaboration on every aspect of this project." Leathley adds, "But more than that, it's one thing to be collaborative on a project and another to be entrusted by a client to do something different."



who
Project: Seattle Children’s Research Institute Client: Seattle Children’s Research Institute. Architect, interior designer: NBBJ. Structural engineer: Magnusson Klemencic Associates (MKA). Mechanical/electrical engineer: Affiliated Engineers. General contractor/construction manager: BN Builders. Lighting designer: Pivotal AEI. Acoustician: BRC Acoustics & Technology Consulting. Photographer: Benjamin Benschneider and Sean Airhart/NBBJ.

what
Wallcoverings: Xorel, Forbo, Newood Teak, Tabu Veneer. Paint: Benjamin Moore, Sherman-Williams. Laminate: Abet Laminati, Chemetal. Flooring: Armstrong, Roppe. Carpet/carpet tile: C&A, Interface Flor, Mannington Commercial. Carpet fiber: Dynex Nylon, Solutia Ultron VIP Type 6,6 Nylon. Carpet backing: Thermoplastic Polymeric, Graphlar, Synthetic. Ceiling: Armstrong, Decoustics, Xorel. Lighting: Focal Point, Pinnacle, DayBrite, Modernica, Vode. Doors, door hardware: Tre Piu, Ramplus. Glass: KI, Tre Piu, Raumplus. Window frames: KI. Window treatments: Mermet, Vela, Levalor. Laboratory benches/tables: Fisher Hamilton. Laboratory stools: by owner. Professionals’/administrative desks: Knoll. Professionals’/administrative seating: Keilhauer. Lounge seating: Davis, Brayton International. Cafeteria, dining, auditorium seating: Davis. Cafeteria, dining, training tables: Harter. Seating upholstery: Maharam, Carnegie, Knoll Textiles, Unica Vaev, Helvetia Leather, Keilhauer. Library and conference seating: Keilhauer, Davis. Library/conference tables: Bernhardt Design. Other seating: International Art Properties, Keilhauer, Brayton International. Other tables: Brayton International. Files: Inscape. Shelving: Knoll, custom. Architectural woodworking: Master Millwork. Cabinetmaking: Saxton Bradley, Master Millwork. Signage: Grafix.

where
Location: Seattle, WA. Total floor area: 72,810 sq. ft. No. of floors: 2 full floors, 1 half floor, lobby. Average floor size: 26,350 sq. ft.