DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION HEADQUARTERS BUILDING PREDESIGN
Department of Enterprise Services | Olympia, Washington
Completed: 2020
The Transportation Building, located in the southeast corner of the State Capitol Campus, is a 4-story 204,000-gsf building constructed in 1966 to serve as the departmental headquarters for the Washington Department of Transportation. It is an excellent example of the “Brutalism” architectural style of bold, structurally innovative forms featuring concrete as the primary material.
SWL Architects led a team of engineers and specialty experts in the development of this predesign focused on preserving and renovating this 50-year old building. Our task was to identify, explore, and develop a preferred plan which would, over a sequence of projects and biennia, achieve the goal of revitalizing the DOT Headquarters to support the agency for decades. Toward this effort we:
Met with the 24 operational groups currently housed in the building to program their space needs, operational proximities, and needed space for current operations and anticipated growth over the following decade.
Analyzed the physical condition of the existing building against pending building codes to ensure it meets seismic and energy performance standards.
Analyzed the alternatives for accomplishing the project needs including relocation to other sites.
Developed alternatives for the interior space configuration to accomplish the goals of Modern Work Environment as envisioned under Executive Order 16-07.
Identified structured phases for the execution of the recommended improvements that will result in the preservation of the overall building.
Developed a phased relocation plan to minimize disruption to on-going operations.