The transformation of the historic 1915 310 Terry building into Northeastern University’s Seattle hub is a focused example of adaptive reuse within South Lake Union’s evolving science and technology district. Once an industrial warehouse and later home to two restaurants, the building sat vacant after the pandemic. The remodel preserves the building’s original post-and-beam construction, and highlights the heavy timber, brick, and steel structure, retaining embodied carbon while repurposing the space as a vibrant center for education, research, and connection.
Responding to growing mental health challenges in higher education, the project creates a restorative environment for a largely remote student population. A new dramatic communicating stair connects the two levels. A key structural challenge was introducing aligned apertures beneath existing skylights to channel daylight into the partially buried, light-starved lower level, anchoring the space in light and openness.
