BuildingWork

Urban Land Magazine recently featured insights from Urban Land Institute Northwest’s Adaptive Reuse Symposium, where our Founding Partner Matt Aalfs shared perspectives on the value of preserving older buildings:

“Historic buildings contribute to cultural continuity and sense of place, and that’s really important to the health of our communities. We have to do a better job of reusing and revitalizing existing structures, because we can’t build our way out of the climate crisis.”

Using projects like the Metropole Building and Green Lake Branch Library, Matt highlighted how thoughtful preservation and targeted upgrades can extend the life of existing buildings, reduce carbon impact, and support resilient neighborhoods like Pioneer Square.

Read the article:

Historic Preservation and Adaptive Reuse: Securing Seattle’s Historic Pioneer Square ULI Northwest adaptive reuse symposium addresses challenges of renewing the city’s core.

The Metropole Seattle is a finalist for the 2026 Vision Awards, recognizing leadership in building sustainability across our region.

Hosted by the Seattle and Bellevue 2030 Districts Network, the Vision Awards bring together a community committed to advancing high-performance, climate-responsive buildings. It’s an honor to see Metropole included among this year’s finalists.

As part of the program, our Founding Partner Matt Aalfs will also be joining the Reframe Podcast during the awards event, sharing insights on the project and the role of adaptive reuse in addressing climate and community needs.

We look forward to celebrating with project partners and the broader community this Wednesday!

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4vakjha

Owner: Satterberg Foundation
Architect & Interior Design: BuildingWork
Structural Engineer: Swenson Say Faget
Civil Engineer: LPD Engineering
Mechanical Engineer: Ecotope, Inc
Electrical Engineer: TFWB
Lighting Designer: DarkLight
Acoustic Consultant: SSA Acoustics, LLP
Historic Masonry Consultant: Speweik Preservation
Envelope Consultant: RDH
LEED Consultant: O’Brien360
Specifications: ABI
Landscape Architect: KKLA
General Contractor: W.G. Clark Construction
Mason Contractor: Finishing Touch Masonry
Photo: Doug Walker Photography

We’re excited to share that The Metropole Seattle received the Gold Winner – Restoration award at the 2026 Northwest Masonry Institute Excellence in Masonry Awards.

This recognition reflects the care, craft, and collaboration behind restoring the long vacant Busy Bee and Metropole buildings, two connected 1892 structures in Pioneer Square—preserving historic sandstone and brick while supporting the project’s next chapter as a community-centered, high-performance space.

Congratulations to W.G. Clark Construction, Finishing Touch Masonry, and the rest of our project partners, and thank you to the Northwest Masonry Institute for the recognition!

Read more in the Daily Journal of Commerce: https://bit.ly/4c2QlTs

Owner: Satterberg Foundation
Architect & Interior Design: BuildingWork
Structural Engineer: Swenson Say Faget
Civil Engineer: LPD Engineering
Mechanical Engineer: Ecotope, Inc
Electrical Engineer: TFWB
Lighting Designer: DarkLight
Acoustic Consultant: SSA Acoustics, LLP
Historic Masonry Consultant: Speweik Preservation
Envelope Consultant: RDH
LEED Consultant: O’Brien360
Specifications: ABI
Landscape Architect: KKLA
General Contractor: W.G. Clark Construction
Mason Contractor: Finishing Touch Masonry
Photo: Doug Walker Photography