BILL AND MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION

HEADQUARTERS, SEATTLE (USA)

AR 604: SUSTAINABLE BUILT

ENVIRONMENT
SUBMITTED BY

IRFAN HAIDER KHAN

BILL AND MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION HEADQUARTERS, SEATTLE (USA) |

ABOUT THE FOUNDATION

In 1994, Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates and his wife Melinda formed the Bill & Melinda Gates
Foundation to focus their charitable giving around two issues: global health and community needs
in the Pacific Northwest. The foundation applies advances in science and education to solve
complex global problems. The foundation organizes its grants in three program areas: Global
Development, Global Health, Global Policy & Advocacy Division and the United States.
In 2005, the foundation chose to make Seattle its permanent home and selected a site for the
new headquarters across the street from the iconic Space Needle. The new campus consolidates
five offices and brings the foundation staff and partners together under one roof for the first
time in ten years. The headquarters is a LEED platinum campus, reflecting how intrinsic values
can be carried forward into physical design implementations.

PROJECT DETAILS

Nine guiding principles were developed for the campus plan and architecture:
For Neighbours
The development will fit with the size and scale of the surrounding environment.
The design will be inspiring and creative and fit within the neighbourhood.
The campus security will be low-profile.
The edges of the campus will be well defined and landscaped.
The design will integrate sustainable materials and methods.
For Employees
The design will create a sense of place that reflects the foundations work in health and
learning.
The buildings will connect in a campus-like setting designed to facilitate interaction,
collaboration and learning.
The campus design will include open green spaces.
The design will provide access to natural light for all.

BILL AND MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION HEADQUARTERS, SEATTLE (USA) |

SITE PLAN

When selecting the site in

Seattle near the Space
Needle, it was important to
the foundation that the
project would improve the
neighbourhood experience.
The
campus
design
incorporates wide walkways,
public artwork, benches and
landscaping along the busy
streets near the Seattle
Center. By massing the taller
buildings toward the center of
the site, the size and scale of
the campus fits within the
surrounding
community.

BILL AND MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION HEADQUARTERS, SEATTLE (USA) |

Unobtrusive security measures keep employees safe while maintaining a pedestrian-friendly

experience that makes the campus approachable and welcoming.
Campus green spaces provide a variety of outdoor experiences around the campus heart. Many
landscaped areas provide opportunities for individual and group activities, as well as routes
that link the campus buildings together. Movement both between and within the spaces
themselves support chance encounters between staff. The transparent building faade creates
internal community and provides connection with the natural world, while the entire outdoor
campus serves as an extended workplace for a highly flexible workforce. Employees can turn
outdoor benches into personal offices, and informal seating areas become a place for blue-sky
brainstorming sessions on sunny days.

BUILDINGS IMPACT ON USERS LIFESTYLE

The building design was such that the users are encouraged to interact with each other, as well
as the general public, access to whom is open as a part of the socially sustainable campus
design. The idea behind creation of unobstructed spaces was to promote mingling of people,
and since the building is used by professionals from over 30 countries, the environment so
created is a mix of vibrant and culturally rich interactions.
The building design is unique in the sense that social sustainability with the use of spaces is
exhibited brilliantly which is a rare occurring for the buildings in the USA. The building design
coupled with the Foundations unique training programs to promote sustainability through the
means of social interaction, car-pooling, urban agriculture and training the employees for the
use of non-conventional practices of energy consumption leads to an effective environment. This,
in turn impacts the users lifestyle such that they are encouraged to practice the learnings in their
personal lives as well.
As per the survey carried out by the Foundation, after the construction of this building in 2005,
93% of the users were satisfied with the functioning of the building. Also, the users tend to be
more compassionate towards their surroundings, as a result of the successful campus design as
well as the training programs held by the office.

BILL AND MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION HEADQUARTERS, SEATTLE (USA) |

BILL AND MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION HEADQUARTERS, SEATTLE (USA) |

SOURCES AND REFERENCES

http://www.arup.com/~/media/Images/Projects/G/Gates_Foundation/Gallery/Images/BM
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https://d3pxppq3195xue.cloudfront.net/media/images/12/11/27/GatesFoundation_BldgBDawn-ext_966x668.jpg

http://www.designbuild-network.com/projects/7035/images/141170/large/2-image.jpg

http://cdn.geekwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/gatesfoundation2.png

http://media.komonews.com/images/120204_gates_foundation.jpg

https://uliseattle.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/gatesfoundation-021.jpg

http://www.arup.com/~/media/Images/Projects/G/Gates_Foundation/Gallery/Images/BM
GF_Bench_c_Timothy_Hursley_912x608.ashx?mh=800&mw=1000

https://docs.gatesfoundation.org/Documents/campus-brochure.pdf

http://landarchs.com/bill-melinda-gates-forefront-sustainable-design/

https://d3pxppq3195xue.cloudfront.net/media/files/NBBJ_GATES_CASE_STUDY_web_.pdf