South Lake Union Discovery Center Set to Open

SEATTLE–Paul Allen’s real estate arm Vulcan Inc. will open its South Lake Union Discovery Center this weekend. Located at 101 Westlake Ave. N., it is a one-stop shop for learning about the future plans for the 60 acres Vulcan owns in the area, as well as the history of the area and the city’s planned transportation improvements. Vulcan currently has 12 development projects totaling about three million sf that are either under development, recently completed or planned for the near future. The 11,000-sf Discovery Center will give interested parties a first look at detailed plans, graphics and videos showing what South Lake Union is expected to look like five, 10 and 15 years from now. Not surprisingly, it also includes a sales center for those interested in purchasing a unit in one of the company’s residential developments. The first of those projects is 2200, a 550,000-sf mixed-use project at the corner of Westlake and Denney. Components include a 160-room Pan Pacific Hotel, a Whole Foods Market and 261 condominiums. The $200-million 2200 development is a joint venture of Vulcan and Milliken Development Group.The Discovery Center also is a testament to Vulcan’s promise to use sustainable design principles in developing its properties. More than 80% of the facility was built with environmentally friendly or recycled materials, according to Vulcan officials. In addition, two bioswales collect rainwater run-off, reducing the amount that flows back into the city’s sewer system. Finally, Vulcan officials say the building can be disassembled into four distinct pieces and moved to a different site when necessary.The project team for the Discovery Center includes GLY Construction (contractor), Miller/Hull (architect) and MICE Marketcraft (interior design, display and model design and production). The facility opens daily at 11 a.m. beginning April 30.Vulcan’s Allison Jeffries tells GlobeSt.com the idea for Discovery Center is a popular one with resort developers. “Intrawest does a lot of things like this,” she says. Other urban infill developers are using it as well. The developers of Portland, OR’s 130-acre South Waterfront area, which includes a substantial for-sale residential component, opened up a facility similar to Vulcan’s in November.