East Seattle Partners Office – Mercer Island
PUBLIC47’s East Seattle Partners office on Mercer Island exemplifies sustainable design, featuring an all-electric, LEED Gold-certified space that harmonizes innovation, environmental responsibility, and occupant well-being in a compact footprint.
The East Seattle Partners Office Building, designed by Seattle-based PUBLIC47 ARCHITECTS, serves as the headquarters for a family foundation and investment company with a long-standing commitment to responsible investing. The clients sought a space that would reflect their environmental values and long-term vision. PUBLIC47 responded with an all-electric, high-performance building that translates these principles into architectural form.
The 15,000-square-foot building, located on Mercer Island, demonstrates how thoughtful design can overcome significant site constraints while advancing sustainability goals. Located on a compact 6,500-square-foot corner lot with 25 feet of grade change, the project faced restrictive two-story zoning limits and demanding parking requirements. PUBLIC47’s solution integrates an automated parking system that maximizes efficiency, enabling a third-level mezzanine workspace and a generous 3,500-square-foot landscaped roof deck within the allowable building envelope.
This LEED Gold-certified project achieves 47% energy reduction through a suite of high-performance strategies. The all-electric building combines efficient HVAC systems with heat recovery, advanced building envelope performance, LED lighting with daylight controls, and rooftop solar arrays generating 25% of annual energy consumption. Cross-laminated timber construction significantly reduces embodied carbon compared to conventional steel or concrete approaches.
The building is organized around interconnected multi-story volumes, balanced by smaller private offices, meeting rooms, break areas, and service zones. Designed to foster collaboration and privacy, two primary conference rooms feature movable wall systems that provide acoustic privacy for sensitive discussions or open completely for company-wide events. The central staircase connects all three levels while encouraging physical activity as an attractive alternative to elevator use.
Occupant health and well-being informed both the layout and material palette. Low-emitting finishes, enhanced ventilation with high-MERV filtration, and an abundance of natural light promote indoor air quality. Regionally sourced CLT brings both warmth and a reduced carbon footprint, reinforcing a connection to nature throughout the workspace.
The rooftop doubles as an amenity and environmental strategy, featuring native plantings that support stormwater management, reduce heat island effects, and restore local habitat—while offering employees access to outdoor workspace. A fitness room and the prominently placed stairway further promote wellness.
The completed East Seattle Partners Office Building establishes new benchmarks for sustainable workplace design on Mercer Island. Beyond reducing environmental impact, the building reinforces the client’s leadership in responsible investment while creating an inspiring environment that supports the innovative thinking essential to their mission. This project proves that environmental responsibility and exceptional design quality are not just compatible—they’re mutually reinforcing.
Design: PUBLIC47
Contractor: Shilshole Construction
Structural + Civil Engineer: DCI Engineers
MEP: PAE Engineers
Landscape Architect: KKLA
Sustainability Consultant: Unico
Geotechnical: Geotech Consultants
Photography: Rafael Soldi
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