Overview

Northlake Commons became one of the earliest office/research buildings to use mass-timber structural technology. As per its website, it billed itself as "Seattle’s first and only mass timber commercial office building​" that was "Purpose built to support both tech ​office and life science users​." (See Jones Lang LaSalle IP, Inc.com, "North Lake Union Begins," published 2023, accessed 04/09/2024.) Ownership envisioned a flexible building, one that could support digital technology, biotech or standard commercial uses. Its proximity to the University of Washington campus made it a new location for commercial development of the north side of Lake Union, as the webpage's title suggested, "North Lake Union Begins." Other office buildings did predate this in the North Lake Union section of Wallingford, such as the Tableau Office Building aka the NorthEdge Building at 1621 North 34th Street, but none were built from mass timber. (Northlake Commons did expand on Weber Thompson's exploration of mass timber construction at the Cedar Speedster Building in nearby Fremont, also developed by the HessCallahanGrey Group.) Interestingly, the building replaced a Dunn Lumber Company warehouse and auxiliary buildings that formerly stood on the site. The Dunn Family was involved in the development of Northlake Commons, and would use the basement's two floors to house its new warehouse.

Building History

The Seattle architectural firm of Weber Thompson designed Northlake Commons for a building consortium headed by the developer HessCallahanGrey Group (HCG) and the Dunn Lumber Company. Dunn Lumber decided to develop a prime site bounded by Latona Avenue on the west, NE Northlake Way on the south, 4th Avenue NE on the east, and the Burke-Gilman Trail on the north, where it had a warehouse and other service buildings serving its retail store across Latona Avenue. The new Northlake Commons contained five stories above ground and two below. A central breezeway/courtyard separated the plan into two, roughly rectangular wings, with the east one being larger than the west. The indoor-outdoor courtyard, thought of as "Connector space" by the architects, was meant to entice workers outside to interact with the natural environment and to appreciate the site's stunning Lake Union views. The architects underscored the therapeutic value of contact with nature: "The sensory interaction provided by these Connector spaces is likely to offer people improved cognitive function and reductions in systolic blood pressure and stress hormones. The ability to have a space where one can seek reprieve from their indoor environment has excellent psychological value, especially in today’s context of a pandemic." (See Brittany Porter, Weber Thompson.com, "Water and Wood: Northlake Commons, a biophilic mass timber workplace in Seattle," published 2022, accessed 04/09/2024.)

According to a Weber Thompson website, the Dunn Family was deeply involved in Northlake Commons's development. It stated: "Seattle is also a city of wood. The forests are a short drive away and facilitate a culture of outdoor recreation that permeates into the urban lifestyle. Like many other non-indigenous settlements in the Pacific Northwest, timber milling and logging were the original backbones of industry. In fact, a lumber company has existed on the north end of Lake Union since 1931: the Dunn Lumber Company. Dunn Lumber is a successful, family-owned, local business that believes in supplying craftspeople with the highest quality wood products. The Dunn family teamed up with local real estate development group Hess Callahan Grey Group and architectural firm Weber Thompson to transform their original lumber yard into its fullest potential. Currently under construction and coming in the fall of 2023, Northlake Commons will be a four-story, mass timber, mixed-use workplace building above a two-story concrete podium that will house the new Dunn Lumber warehouse. This innovative project will bring new energy to a previously sparse industrial area with an improved park space that engages with Seattle’s appreciable Burke-Gilman bike trail and an expansive public plaza looking out over Lake Union." (See Brittany Porter, Weber Thompson.com, "Water and Wood: Northlake Commons, a biophilic mass timber workplace in Seattle," published 2022, accessed 04/09/2024.)

Weber Thompson underscored Nortlake Commons's ecological soundness. First, it was constructed of mass-timber, a renewable and affordable resource that provided sensual satisfaction to its tenants. Additionally, the project constructed a bioswale that treated stormwater runoff before it reached Lake Union. The Weber Thompson website stated: "Currently, stormwater sheds down a significant hill from the neighborhood to the north and into the lake untreated. However, after the Northlake Commons project is completed, new stormwater infrastructure will divert the water into a swale capable of filtering up to 5 million gallons of stormwater before it continues its path to the lake. A generous building setback at the shoreline adjacent property line created this significant restorative swale area. The design team also prohibited using exposed galvanized steel on the project because it leaches zinc which is harmful to aquatic life." (See Brittany Porter, Weber Thompson.com, "Water and Wood: Northlake Commons, a biophilic mass timber workplace in Seattle," published 2022, accessed 04/09/2024.)

Kristen Scott was the Weber Thompson partner in charge, working with design partner Cody Lodi. Rachael Meyer was the landcape architecture partner. Other members of the design team included: Myer Harrell and Todd Mayne, project managers; Brittany Porter, project architect; Jiao Mei, project coordinator; and Shoshanah Haberman, the landscape designer.

Weber Thompson, the Dunn Family and the developer. the Hess Callahan Grey Group, deserve credit for creating a thoughtful and attractive project, that intensively used precious lakefront land and enhanced the architectural character of the Wallingford neighborhood. Above all, through the notable project's biophilic goals, the building enhanced the quality of life for all Seattle residents.

PCAD id: 25094