Helen Sommers Building

Photo Credit: Benjamin Benschneider

The first design-build project on the Washington State capitol campus, the Helen Sommers Building is a 215,000-square-foot five-story office building that houses multiple Washington state agencies including the Washington State Patrol, the Department of the Treasury, Office of Financial Management and Legislature committee offices. Focusing on the energy performance guarantee requested by the owner, the building received LEED Platinum®, meeting ambitious energy- conservation targets and placing it in the top 1% of comparable office buildings for energy performance.

Surpassing Energy Performance and Environmental Targets

The first design-build project on the Washington State capitol campus, this office building met the State’s schedule and budget goals and surpassed the energy performance and environmental targets. The decision to focus on energy performance paid off in a big way with this energy conscious award winner. The design provides flexible, day-lit workspaces anchored by shared conference and open-meeting areas in an active, collaborative and light-filled environment. Many of the design features center on making a visual connection between the building and surrounding area, a beautiful sit perched between the historic State Capitol Campus and downtown Olympia.

Design-Build Team