Fremont Office Building

DATA 1 is a LEED Gold v3 Core & Shell building, completed in 2017 in Seattle WA. Reflecting an evolving typology of urban mid-rise office buildings within neighborhood retail cores, this mixed-use project had ambitious environmental sustainability goals and a direct, hands-on improvement to cleaning polluted stormwater from an adjacent bridge. DATA 1 marks a groundswell of new office development in the eclectic Fremont neighborhood. Its established neighborhood location aligned with long term city growth and sustainability goals (achieving exemplary performance in SSc2 Development Density and Community Connectivity), providing 115,000 SF of office space and 12,000 SF of local retail in five stories. Tenant comfort and productivity drove robust daylighting and ventilation strategies, resulting in a courtyard building with operable windows. An exposed steel structure and generous transparent glazing balance daylighting goals with energy efficiency (achieving IEQc8.1 Daylight and exemplary performance in IEQc8.2 Views). Energy and daylight modeling were utilized to tune facades with punched openings and vision glass, strategically placing horizontal and vertical shades, reducing heat gain and glare in a cost effective, impactful way (adding 12 points in EAc1 Optimize Energy Performance). The castellated steel increases perceived ceiling height, creating an open, airy space, allowing for building systems to run through them. Prior to development, the adjacent Troll Avenue beneath the Aurora Bridge was an eyesore—poorly lit, damp and forgotten. Bridge downspouts splashed toxic runoff onto the sidewalk and directly into Lake Union, polluting a major salmon spawning route. In response, the team designed a series of innovative bio-retention cells stepping down the hillside, cleaning approximately 200,000 gallons of polluted stormwater annually. The project is Salmon-Safe certified, a leading U.S. ecolabel offering peer-reviewed certification, linking site development and land management practices with protection of agricultural and urban watersheds. The hill climb has several public terraces and a dedicated bicycle entrance, from an adjacent bike trail. Leading directly into a 5,000 sf bike storage, shower and locker room, it earned Regional Priority credits for SSc4.2 Bicycle Storage/Changing Rooms. By integrating local retail into three sides of the building – including a through-block retail “mews” – the design team enhanced a pedestrian connection to Fremont’s historic landmarked library and park (the project achieved an Innovation in Design v4 credit, Walkable Project Site). An exterior stair connects office users to retailers in the neighborhood and an internal feature stair contributed to an Innovation in Design v4 credit Design for Active Occupants.