2025 West Best Projects
Award of Merit, Renovation/Restoration, Excellence in Sustainability: BNBuilders Headquarters
BNBuilders Headquarters
Seattle
Award of Merit, Renovation/Restoration, and Award of Merit, Sustainability
Submitted by BNBuilders
Lead Design Firm DLR Group
Owner/General Contractor BNBuilders
This adaptive reuse project achieved an 83% reduction in embodied carbon compared with new construction and is expected to earn Zero Carbon certification from the International Living Future Institute as well as LEED Gold certification. This renovation of a 28,000-sq-ft space brings new life to Seattle’s historic Ainsworth & Dunn building that was originally built in 1902 as a salmon processing warehouse.
Nearly all of the original envelope and structure were preserved in its current iteration. Crews also preserved key historic elements, including the brick exterior, heavy timber framing on the first floor and the adjacent west-side site.
A new steel stair connects all three floors, with treads and landings made from salvaged timber pulled from the building itself. Modern updates include kitchenettes, a third-floor kitchen and an opened patio with roll-up door maximizing the waterfront setting.
Photo by Ed Sozinho
The team used laser scanners to capture timber columns with thick braces before and after demo, allowing designers and trades to confidently prefabricate building systems and avoid conflicts.
Cupix 360 mapping archived every surface throughout the project. Revizto coordinated building systems using augmented reality, allowing carpenters to see through walls, plumbers to visualize future conduit installations and project engineers to perform quality control without tape measures. The project came in under budget by revitalizing many of the building’s existing materials.
