flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

Amazon office building doubles as emergency housing for Seattle families

Office Buildings

Amazon office building doubles as emergency housing for Seattle families

The Amazon office dedicated eight floors to Mary's Place, a nonprofit that supports families experiencing homelessness.


By Quinn Purcell, Managing Editor | December 1, 2023
Mary’s Place Family Center for families experiencing homelessness
Mary’s Place Family Center, Seattle, Wash. Photo © Benjamin Benschneider, courtesy Graphite Design Group

In collaboration with Amazon, Graphite Design Group designed Mary’s Place Family Center, a nonprofit supporting families experiencing homelessness. The center provides emergency housing and services to families inside the downtown Seattle Amazon office building.

The unusual location for services of this kind serves over 300 people per day. Mary's Place spreads across eight of the office's floors—all designed by Graphite—testing the status quo for its experimental approach to homelessness support.

Emergency Housing for Seattle Families

Each floor provides various services and amenities for the sheltered:

  • Level P1: Parking, Storage, Facilities Workshop
  • Level G: Loading Dock and Staging, Storage, Dogwash
  • Level 1: Lobby, Multipurpose Room, Conference Room
  • Level 2: Diversion Sleep Floor
  • Level 3: Standard Sleep Floor
  • Level 4: Popsicle Place
  • Level 5: Popsicle Place
  • Level 6: Welcome and Intake, Heat Treat, Staff Area, Marketplace
  • Level 7: Dining Room, Full Kitchen, Play Area, Interfaith Prayer Room
  • Level 8: Rec Room, Terrace, Laundry, Games, Large Conference Room

 

Family in emergency housing shelter
Photo © Benjamin Benschneider, courtesy Graphite Design Group

While designing the center, Graphite invited Mary's Place staff to contribute ideas to best support guests. The group brainstormed words, images, and scenarios that eventually helped craft the space into a community-serving shelter.

Mary’s Place Family Center was also recognized at the AIA Seattle Honor Awards and the Council for Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat Awards for its novel approach to urban development. Graphite believes the project acts as a model for how other cities can activate underutilized space to answer larger urban housing challenges while balancing growth and social equity.

On the Building Team:
Owner: Amazon, Global Real Estate and Facilities team and Mary's Place
Developer: Seneca Group
Architect: Graphite Design Group
Structural/Civil Engineer: Coughlin Porter Lundeen
Electrical/Acoustic Engineer: Stantec
Mechanical/Energy Design: WSP
GC: GLY Construction

Related Stories

| Nov 10, 2014

5 guiding principles for solving airflow issues in open-plenum office spaces

Although architecturally appealing, exposed ceilings can create unwanted drafts and airflow problems if not engineered correctly. McGuire Engineers' Bill Stangeland offers tips for avoiding airflow issues on these projects.

| Nov 6, 2014

Hines planning tall wood office building in Minneapolis

The Houston-based developer is planning a seven-story wood-framed office building in Minneapolis’ North Loop that will respect the neighborhood’s historic warehouse district look.

| Nov 5, 2014

Survey: More than 75% of workload takes place without face-to-face interactions

With the rise of technology, much of the workday—even the most productive morning hours—is spent corresponding via email or conference call, according to a recent survey of corporate workers by Mancini•Duffy.

| Nov 4, 2014

HOK breaks ground on colossal research complex for LG in Seoul

Located in Seoul’s Magok District, the LG Science Park provides facilities to support innovative research and industrial prototyping. HOK designed phase one of the master plan and six of the laboratory and office buildings.

| Nov 3, 2014

Cairo's ultra-green mixed-use development will be topped with flowing solar canopy

The solar canopy will shade green rooftop terraces and sky villas atop the nine-story structure.

| Oct 30, 2014

New hotel to be developed at future Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters

The Omni property will be one of the only full-service upscale hotels in the area, and serve as a cornerstone of the mixed-use development, which will be anchored by the Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters and Frisco’s Multi-Use Event Center.

| Oct 29, 2014

Better guidance for appraising green buildings is steadily emerging

The Appraisal Foundation is striving to improve appraisers’ understanding of green valuation.

| Oct 27, 2014

Davis, Calif., latest city to join race to develop 'innovation hubs'

The city plans to develop two "innovation centers" with a total of seven million sf of commercial space geared for local research and technology companies.

| Oct 24, 2014

Work in the City: Urban Diversificaton

 As work and the other aspects of our lives blend, lifestyle becomes the primary lens through which all facets come into focus. In this light, individuals are taking more ownership of their own life and work choices. 

| Oct 24, 2014

Herzog & de Meuron reveals plans for redesign of Roche pharmaceutical campus in Germany

The project includes the addition of a 205-meter-high tower and research center, as well as the renovation of an historic office building designed by Swiss architect Otto R. Salvisber.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category



Sustainable Design and Construction

Northglenn, a Denver suburb, opens a net zero, all-electric city hall with a mass timber structure

Northglenn, Colo., a Denver suburb, has opened the new Northglenn City Hall—a net zero, fully electric building with a mass timber structure. The 32,600-sf, $33.7 million building houses 60 city staffers. Designed by Anderson Mason Dale Architects, Northglenn City Hall is set to become the first municipal building in Colorado, and one of the first in the country, to achieve the Core certification: a green building rating system overseen by the International Living Future Institute.


MFPRO+ News

San Francisco unveils guidelines to streamline office-to-residential conversions

The San Francisco Department of Building Inspection announced a series of new building code guidelines clarifying adaptive reuse code provisions and exceptions for converting office-to-residential buildings. Developed in response to the Commercial to Residential Adaptive Reuse program established in July 2023, the guidelines aim to increase the viability of converting underutilized office buildings into housing by reducing regulatory barriers in specific zoning districts downtown. 

halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021