November 15, 2019

SEATTLE, WA – Howard S. Wright, a Balfour Beatty company, and its project known as International Software Developer Buildings 121 & 122 in Redmond, Wash., have been honored by the Design-Build Institute of America (DBIA) with a National Award of Merit in the commercial/office category. The project also won DBIA’s overall Best in Design – Architecture award.  

Adding to the honors, the project has also been recognized by NAIOP Washington State Chapter as the Redevelopment/Renovation of the Year award winner and received the NAIOP People’s Choice Award, an honor voted on by the public.

Designed by B+H Architects, the International Software Developer Buildings 121 & 122 projects encompassed two concurrent 180,000-square-foot tenant improvements in adjacent buildings. The vision was achieved by adding atriums to each building: two in Building 122 and three in Building 121. New construction in these areas included building collaborative spaces, large conference rooms, open kitchenettes and hubs, neighborhoods containing between 10 to 16 workspaces, and several specialty breakout spaces that allow employees to relax and have fun. In addition to interior work, exterior building improvements included repainting the structures, underground waterproofing, and re-seaming roofs.

Constructed in the 1990s and with footprints blocking natural light from entering interior spaces, many changes were made to the new atriums to improve the overall office environment. The grandest change came as a result of the need to create ‘neighborhoods’ for the employees – enjoyable, flexible places that improve the environment of the given space. Design-build not only allowed for this project to be completed on a fast-tracked, six-month schedule, but also enabled the project to be phased so well that there was minimal impact of people moving in and out of spaces.

According to DBIA, the 2019 Design-Build Project/Team Award winners are the best design-build projects in the nation and demonstrate how Design-Build Done Right continues to deliver project innovation and savings to communities across the country. This year’s winners were announced at the 2019 Design-Build Awards Dinner during the Design-Build Conference & Expo in Las Vegas.

NAIOP Washington’s Night of the Stars Awards Program is an annual black-tie gala designed to recognize exceptional individuals and companies across the industry, and the projects in which its members are involved. The program’s goal is to identify outstanding real estate developments and activities in a variety of market types, and the individuals who made the projects happen.