Cheers to a fresh start in 2021!

2020 was a doozy, but at Weber Thompson our attention is fixed firmly on the future – we know there are good things to come.

To prove this, we have launched a shiny new website – AND – we have moved into a brand-new office in Watershed, a deep-green building pursuing Petal Recognition from the International Living Future Institute. We couldn’t be more excited about beginning this year with a clean slate.

The process of designing our new website allowed us to take an internal deep dive into the stories and projects that define our practice. This introspective look at our firm has allowed us to showcase our best work on our site – and to highlight the people and perspectives that have served our clients successfully over the years. This new site is all about giving you an in-depth look at our firm, and we hope you enjoy it.

In the physical realm, our new office on the second floor of Watershed continues to demonstrate our commitment to sustainability and our passion for immersing ourselves into our work – literally.

“Designing and moving to Watershed was the natural next step in the evolution of Weber Thompson and our dedication to sustainable design,” states Managing Partner and Watershed Principal In Charge, Kristen Scott. “After twelve years at The Terry Thomas, we wanted our new home to again push the envelope in high-performance design and demonstrate to our clients what is possible.”

Many reclaimed materials, all from our previous office in the Terry Thomas office, can be found throughout the space. A beloved element, a 14-foot-tall section of flooring featuring the patina of years serving as Pearl Jam’s practice studio, was reassembled, encased in a steel frame and carefully secured to the second-floor entrance off Troll Avenue.

The reclaimed floor of Pearl Jam’s practice studio has been mounted on the wall in the new Weber Thompson office space at Watershed.The materials that were procured for the space are locally-sourced, Red List-compliant and have an ILFI Declare Label listing product components. These measures, along with operable windows and state-of-the-art mechanical ventilation, make the building’s indoor air quality exceptionally healthy. We are also pursuing FitWel certification specifically for our tenant improvement.

The new office overlooks the cascading bioswale that runs adjacent to the building, which was designed by Weber Thompson’s Landscape Design Studio and cleans diverted runoff from the Aurora Bridge.

This connection with the outdoors and the surrounding neighborhood was a theme that our design team heard when they gathered input from the firm while exploring the initial design of the new office. Through a series of internal charrettes, employees asked for access to daylight, spaces to foster opportunities for connection, areas for hands-on projects, and a showcase for WT’s design aesthetic.

The new Weber Thompson office overlooks the Aurora Bridge, bioswales, Lake Union, and has views of downtown Seattle and Mt. Rainier on clear days.

We are incredibly excited about our new space in Watershed and we’re thrilled to be a part of Fremont, an area of the city we’ve become intimately familiar with as our portfolio of deep-green projects in the neighborhood has grown.

For now – as Covid-19 continues to impact how we work – many employees are working remotely, but a handful of employees have been working in the new space. Jack Himmelheber has been working at the new office daily. “The new office is very bright and open. My bicycle commute along the Westlake bike lane is a refreshing change of route, and the big bike room is a nice amenity. I’m very thankful to have an office to visit each day, as it is difficult for me to work from home,” he says.

We’re proud to have a new digital home for our firm, and we’re even prouder to have a new physical space in Watershed. We can’t wait to throw a big party someday when we can all be together again. Until then, stay tuned for virtual tours, or read about the process of creating our space in this Q&A with the design team. Later this spring we’ll start hosting small groups for in-person tours, as it feels safe to do so.

Here’s to a fresh start in 2021!

The materials specified in our new office adhere to LBC Red List-free requirements and contribute to healthier indoor air quality.