222 Fifth

Overview

Opportunity

Solution

Impact

Team

Located in the heart of Seattle’s innovation cluster, 222 Fifth is a state-of-the-art life science research facility and modern workplace that adapts to the evolving needs of the industry and surrounding community.

Location

Seattle, WA

Client

Lincoln

Expertise

[FPO] Office Developers (Primary)Brand Design [FPO] Mixed Use [FPO] Retail Centers Sciences Office Developers Climate Action & Sustainability Wellness

Opportunity

At a prominent urban crossroads, the project needed to stand apart, attract tenants, and remain adaptable as workplace and life-science demand evolved.

Driven by rapid advances in medicine and technology, the life sciences market is going through a period of accelerated innovation — one that is having a significant impact on company culture and the physical workplace itself. Design solutions are far bolder than they used to be. Healthy, vibrant, and resilient spaces have become a priority because they help organizations stay agile, effective, and competitive in a fast-changing landscape.

Why This Matters

01
A Gateway Site
Because the project sits at a highly trafficked downtown intersection, it had to perform as more than a leasable building. It needed to contribute to the public experience of a key Seattle gateway and hold its own among some of the city's most recognized landmarks.
02
Flexibility as Value
Success depended on delivering a future-ready building that could flex between office and laboratory use. That adaptability broadened leasing potential and helped distinguish the development from more typical workplace product in the market.
03
Community as Differentiator
The building's opportunity was not only to house tenants, but to support a "tenant family" through shared amenities and movement-based design. That made tenant experience, cross-pollination, and everyday interaction central to the project's value proposition.

By combining world-class facilities with a prime location and forward-thinking initiatives like CoLabs, 222 Fifth is set to play a pivotal role in supporting Seattle’s growing life science ecosystem.

Solution

Gensler answered with a vertically connected building shaped by movement, shared amenities, and flexible infrastructure that supports both office and laboratory use.

222 Fifth is an R&D hub purpose-built for flexibility, tenant engagement, and long-term sustainability. Designed to meet the evolving needs of the life sciences industry, the building’s offset massing and dynamic volumes establish a striking identity. A bold feature stair drives vertical connectivity and movement, while terraces and a rooftop deck provide outdoor spaces with expansive views. Balancing work and research, 222 Fifth cultivates collaboration and continuously adapts to the shifting priorities of tenants and the surrounding community.

Gensler shaped 222 Fifth around a converging urban site, using circulation, amenity, and streetscape activation to connect tenants, wellness, and city life.

At 222 Fifth, the process started with the site’s unusual condition: three major streets converge here, creating a strong opportunity on the building’s north side. Gensler translated that into a vertical street strategy that links amenities with a ribbon of circulation, encouraging tenants to move beyond their own floors. Retail and shared spaces activate Thomas Street and 5th Avenue, while the interconnecting stair and rooftop amenities reinforce wellness, community, and connection to Seattle’s surrounding landmarks.

Impact

The result is a memorable building that offers flexible tenant value, animates a major pedestrian corridor, and strengthens Seattle's innovation district.

222 Fifth advances sustainability with energy-efficient glazing, all-electric systems, and performance 25% above code, reducing impact while creating long-term value for tenants and community.

What Changed Because of This

01
Workplace Experience
A vertical ribbon of circulation and shared amenities transformed isolated floors into a more connected tenant community shaped by movement, interaction, and hospitality.
02
Environmental Performance
222 Fifth performs 25% better than the 2015 Seattle Energy Code, using high-performance glazing and all-electric systems to reduce environmental impact.
03
Tenant Value
Flexible office-to-lab capability, efficient floorplates, and shared infrastructure created long-term value by broadening tenant appeal and supporting future workplace change.

The design of 222 Fifth takes inspiration from its surroundings, aiming to create a distinctive building that serves as a gateway to the uptown neighborhood. With flexibility and activation as core principles, Gensler’s design features dynamic, shifting volumes that provide movement throughout the building and set it apart from traditional research buildings.

Recognition

01

Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce

Gensler-designed 222 Fifth, highlighted as a state-of-the-art R&D building in Seattle that serves as a gateway to the Uptown neighborhood.

02

Archinect

Gensler is adding to Seattle’s growing innovation cluster with 222 Fifth, a medical and life sciences R&D building that prioritizes movement, flexibility, and the potential for new activations, which set it apart from traditional research buildings.

03

The Registry

Featured 222 Fifth, as a cutting-edge R&D building and modern workplace that adapts to the evolving needs of the industry and community. Architect Brian Di Maggio describes how Gensler’s design features dynamic, shifting volumes that provide movement throughout the building.

Team

Project Leadership

[FPO] Brian Di Maggio

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Chad Yoshinobu

Chad is a Design Principal and Gensler’s Global Health Sector Leader. He is one of a handful of design directors responsible for setting the standard of design excellence across the firm’s global organization.

[FPO] Ryan Haines

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[FPO] Yue Han

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[FPO] Sukyee Pang

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FAQ

01

Where is 222 Fifth located?

The project is located at 222 5th Ave N in Seattle, Washington, near Seattle Center, the Space Needle, MoPOP, the Monorail, and South Lake Union.

02

What kind of building is 222 Fifth?

It is a future-ready, approximately 200,000-square-foot commercial building designed to flex between office and laboratory use.

03

What design idea organizes the project?

The project is organized around a vertical ribbon of circulation that connects amenity spaces and encourages movement and tenant interaction.

04

How does the building benefit tenants?

Tenants gain shared amenities, multiple roof decks, outdoor conference rooms, respite spaces, flexible floorplates, and systems suited to both office and life-science users.

05

How does the project connect to the city?

The building activates Thomas Street and 5th Avenue, responds to a major pedestrian route, and reinforces a prominent gateway condition in Seattle.

06

What sustainability and wellness features are identified?

The project includes high-performance glazing and insulation, an intended LEED-CS Core & Shell Gold target, outdoor amenities, and a stair designed to promote movement and wellness.

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Related Expertise

Office Developers (Primary)Brand Design Mixed Use Retail Centers Sciences Office Developers Climate Action & Sustainability Wellness

Located in the heart of Seattle’s innovation cluster, 222 Fifth is a state-of-the-art life science research facility and modern workplace that adapts to the evolving needs of the industry and surrounding community.

At a prominent urban crossroads, the project needed to stand apart, attract tenants, and remain adaptable as workplace and life-science demand evolved.

Why This Matters

Gensler answered with a vertically connected building shaped by movement, shared amenities, and flexible infrastructure that supports both office and laboratory use.

Gensler shaped 222 Fifth around a converging urban site, using circulation, amenity, and streetscape activation to connect tenants, wellness, and city life.

The result is a memorable building that offers flexible tenant value, animates a major pedestrian corridor, and strengthens Seattle's innovation district.

What Changed Because of This