ENR Northwest 2024 Best Projects
Award of Merit - Residential/Hospitality: John Fox Place
Photo by Michael Walmsley Photography
JOHN FOX PLACE
Seattle
Award of Merit
Submitted by: Exxel Pacific
OWNER: Low Income Housing Institute
LEAD DESIGN FIRM: Pyatok Architects
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Exxel Pacific
CIVIL ENGINEER: Latitude 48 Engineers
STRUCTURAL ENGINEER: Quantum Consulting Engineers
MEP ENGINEER: United Systems Mechanical
This $24.7-million, seven-story project brings 104 units of affordable multifamily housing to Seattle’s Licton Springs neighborhood. Features include 1,500 sq ft of community amenity space at the ground level, including a fitness center, conference room, shared laundry facilities, bicycle storage, outdoor terrace and play areas. The building is named for John V. Fox, a long-time advocate for affordable housing and a leader of the Seattle Displacement Coalition.
About five months ahead of field work, crews completed a full unit mock-up to verify the quality of interior finishes ahead of the punch process. To ensure the project’s longevity, the team selected high-quality, heavy durability, cost-effective building materials and interior finishes. The project team collaborated extensively through the preconstruction phase on value engineering to help maintain the budget and maximize the owner’s design intent.
The project team navigated multiple delays, such as the concrete truck driver strike that pushed the schedule back 4.5 months as well as material shortages at Seattle City Light that led to a delay in permanent power service. Change orders, mostly due to the concrete strike delay, pushed the budget $1.8 million over the original contract amount.
MEP and fire sprinkler systems were all designed beyond energy code standards to ensure savings throughout the building’s lifespan. Electric heat pump water heaters will lower power bills, while solar panels covering the roof will help power the facility.
All workers on-site used Eyrus safety hard hat beacons that track worker hours in and out of the project. These beacons record exactly how many hours every registered worker spent on the job site for prevailing wage requirements. They also sent safety and emergency evacuation announcements and communications to all registered users throughout construction in the event of an emergency.
