LMN Architects Completes the Renovation of the Hines Seattle Headquarters
The innovative office interior renovation achieved a 65 percent carbon reduction through meticulous carbon accounting and the inventive reuse of building materials
LMN Architects celebrated the completion of the new Hines Seattle Headquarters at the Norton Building in downtown Seattle. The project sets a new precedent in low-carbon design in the United States and reflects the firm’s commitment to research and sustainability.
The new Hines Seattle Headquarters on the eighth floor of Seattle’s historic Norton Building provides a thoughtful new paradigm in low carbon and circular design. Intending to eliminate embodied carbon impact without relying on carbon offsets, the design team implemented circular design principles aimed at minimizing waste and the associated wasted carbon. This goal was achieved through the creative reuse of building materials and a meticulous carbon analysis. From an ingenious feature wall composed entirely of wood offcuts to a glazed entry constructed of glass salvaged on-site, the carbon reduction goals informed every decision around materiality. Designing to retain, reuse and source salvaged materials resulted in a measured 65 percent embodied carbon reduction compared to a typical remodel that begins with an empty shell. If the same design did not consider salvage and reuse, and solely relied on specifying low-carbon options, it would only result in a 22 percent reduction.