GLUMAC - Engineers for a sustainable future

Marc Jacques, P.E., Seattle Senior Electrical Engineer

Glumac is proud to be involved in the 2201 Westlake project, a significant development that will be an anchor and a stimulant for the whole South Lake Union area of Seattle. It has been a pleasure to team with Vulcan Real Estate, the developer, Callison, the architectural firm, and Sellen Construction, the general contractor. The broad experience of all of the team members has played an important role in the project's success. A LEED^® Silver rating is being pursued.

This mixed-use project includes 300,000 sf of office space on twelve levels, 135 residential units on levels 5 to 19, five levels of parking, and retail on the ground floor. The project is across the street from the soon to be completed 2200 Westlake project, which includes a Pan Pacific Hotel, a Whole Foods Market, and residential condominium units.

Design Collaboration was chosen by the team as the most appropriate delivery method for the project. The primary aim of this method is to involve the contractors with the team when they can provide effective and relevant contribution to the design process. After early sustainability investigation and "blue sky" thinking by Glumac's engineers narrowed down the options to a few alternatives, the concepts were developed into a set of documents for pricing by selected contractors. When the successful contractor was appointed, Glumac's role shifted to peer review and providing suggestions and opinions on the designs developed by the subcontractors, whose knowledge of the construction technology was invaluable.

An important early design decision was to install a raised floor system for air, data, and electrical distribution in the office space as part of the shell and core work.  This is one of a few developments of this type in Seattle to include this feature. Vulcan and the project team determined that the cost associated with the raised floor would significantly contribute to the development's value and vastly enhance the building's quality by creating a flexible platform for the changing business needs of tenants. There is also a sustainable value; a healthy, productive workplace with an underfloor air system versus direct airflow down from the ceiling.

Vulcan has a history of delivering significant projects, learning from each one, and bringing this expertise to the next project. Their input has proven to be invaluable. The seamless collaboration of the project team is a testament to the high caliber and professionalism of all of the companies and professionals involved, as they considered many design solutions before the final choices.

Vulcan Real Estate