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NEXT is a proposed 250,000-square-foot, eight-story science-building prototype for Seattle’s Uptown Arts District. Developed by Gensler with engineers Buro Happold and KPFF, it combines mass-timber construction, a tenant-friendly laboratory grid, all-electric mechanical systems and public-facing amenities. The concept aims to make a laboratory building faster to assemble and easier to adapt than a conventional concrete laboratory.
Its headline figures—30 percent faster construction, 10 percent lower construction cost, 80 percent less construction carbon, 50 percent lower annual greenhouse-gas emissions and 30 percent lower annual energy use—are project-team estimates reported by Building Design + Construction on February 8, 2022. NEXT is a prototype, not a documented completed building: no construction record or post-occupancy measurements establish that those projections were achieved in operation.
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What NEXT is—and what it is not
NEXT was developed as a response to a difficult combination of requirements. Science tenants need laboratories that control vibration, ventilation and containment, while also accommodating specialized equipment, changing bench layouts and demanding utility infrastructure. At the same time, owners want distinctive buildings that help attract tenants, reduce construction risk and perform better environmentally.
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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Gensler’s concept places those needs on a specific Seattle site rather than presenting a generic laboratory type. The proposed building has eight stories and approximately 250,000 square feet. Gensler’s Research Institute funded the work, and the design team included Buro Happold and KPFF. The February 2022 article reports a concept and its projected performance; it does not show that the building was built, permitted, occupied or independently tested.
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That distinction matters when reading the numbers. A projection can guide decisions about structure, equipment and procurement, but it is not the same as a measured energy bill, verified construction invoice or post-occupancy vibration test.
How the concept seeks to shorten construction
Mass timber as a kit of parts
NEXT uses mass timber, including cross-laminated timber (CLT), in a system intended for off-site fabrication. Components can be manufactured to a coordinated design, delivered in sequence and assembled on site as a kit of parts. Compared with a project that casts most of its structure in place, this approach can move more work into a controlled factory environment and reduce the amount of site labor and waiting time.
Chad Yoshinobu, AIA, LEED BD+C, Gensler’s design director and global leader of its Seattle science practice, estimated that the approach would be 30 percent faster and 10 percent cheaper to construct than a conventional concrete building. Those are attributed estimates in the 2022 article, not measured results from a completed NEXT project. Actual performance would depend on timber procurement, design coordination, fire engineering, inspection, transportation, site access, labor availability and the local code-approval process.
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Fewer deliveries and less waste
The project team reported three additional construction impacts against a conventional concrete laboratory baseline:
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| Reported metric | NEXT project claim | How to interpret it |
|---|---|---|
| Site deliveries | 85% reduction | Claim reported by Building Design + Construction in 2022; the article does not publish the delivery-count methodology. |
| Construction waste | 75% reduction | Project estimate compared with a conventional concrete lab; no independent audit is supplied. |
| Construction carbon | 80% reduction, approximately 5,200 metric tons of CO₂ saved | Embodied-construction claim attributed to the project; boundaries and verification are not detailed. |
Off-site fabrication can explain why these outcomes are plausible: standardized components are cut more accurately, packaging and sequencing can be planned before trucks arrive, and fewer wet trades are required in the field. It does not eliminate logistics. Timber still has to be transported, protected from moisture and lifted safely, and the building still requires foundations, services, finishes and specialist laboratory equipment.
Why a 33-by-33-foot grid matters to laboratory tenants
Planning freedom
NEXT is organized around a 33-by-33-foot structural grid. The intent is to give tenants more freedom to orient laboratory benches and work areas instead of forcing every occupant into a predetermined fit-out. A regular grid can also make future partition changes easier because walls and furniture can be relocated within a predictable structural rhythm.
The concept moves the building core to one side. That decision reduces the number of columns, shafts and circulation elements interrupting the main floor plate. For a tenant, fewer obstructions can mean more continuous bench runs, clearer separation between laboratory and support areas, and less demolition when a department changes its workflow.
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Laboratory instruments can be more sensitive to movement than ordinary office equipment. NEXT’s design reports a 6,000 MIPS vibration target, achieved through coordination among columns, girders, beams, CLT floor panels and a concrete topping slab. The article presents that value as a design target, not as a post-occupancy measurement.
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Vibration performance cannot be separated from the tenant’s equipment schedule. A building may meet a general criterion while a microscope, imaging system or other sensitive instrument needs a more demanding local condition. Prospective tenants would still need an equipment-by-equipment vibration study, structural analysis and commissioning plan before committing to a fit-out.
Ventilation, containment and the all-electric energy strategy
Laboratory systems are not office systems
Science buildings often require high air-change rates, exhaust systems, pressure relationships and containment controls that ordinary workplaces do not. Yoshinobu described the difference directly: “These buildings need to be optimized for a tenant; concerns about vibration, ventilation, containment, and specialized equipment go beyond the scope of traditional workplaces.”
NEXT addresses those demands while proposing an all-electric heat-pump chiller system. The design is intended to avoid on-site combustion and to pair heating and cooling with a lower-carbon electricity supply as the grid changes. Electrification does not by itself guarantee low emissions: the result depends on the electricity mix, refrigerant management, equipment efficiency, controls and laboratory operating schedule.
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For Seattle’s temperate climate, the concept says natural ventilation could be used during more than one-third of occupied work hours. The article associates that operating mode with 30 percent energy savings compared with a conventional laboratory building. This is a projected design outcome, not metered performance.
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Natural ventilation in a laboratory is conditional. Outdoor-air quality, weather, acoustics, security, humidity, contamination control and the type of science being performed all affect whether windows or other openings can be used. A design therefore needs operating rules that identify which spaces may use outdoor air, when mechanical ventilation must take over, and how pressure relationships are protected during a change in mode.
Projected annual performance
Against a conventional lab-building baseline, the project team reported projected annual reductions of 50 percent in greenhouse-gas emissions and 30 percent in energy use. The article does not provide a full energy model, baseline assumptions, climate-year data, occupancy schedule or independent verification. Those figures should be used as targets for design development rather than as guarantees for an eventual building.
Outdoor space, stairs and public uses
Every floor connects to the outdoors
NEXT gives each floor access to outdoor space. The design treats that access as part of the workplace rather than a decorative roof feature. Outdoor areas can support breaks, informal meetings and a visual connection to daylight, although their usefulness will depend on weather protection, safety, maintenance, accessibility and the laboratory’s security requirements.
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A perimeter stair as an amenity
The perimeter fire stair is positioned as more than an emergency route. By placing it at the edge of the building, the concept gives the stair daylight and views and presents it as an attractive alternative to elevators for everyday movement. This can make short trips between floors easier while preserving elevator capacity for people, equipment and deliveries.
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Community-facing programming
The proposal includes a flexible arts and cultural venue developed with the Uptown Arts and Cultural Coalition, along with a restaurant incubator and shared kitchen. These uses connect a specialized science building to the surrounding Uptown Arts District. They also introduce practical design questions: public and tenant circulation must be separated where necessary, loading and exhaust systems must support food operations, and event access must not compromise laboratory security or emergency egress.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.NEXT compared with a conventional concrete laboratory
The conventional concrete laboratory is the baseline used for the project’s reported comparisons. The following table keeps projected design claims separate from established operating results.
| Decision area | NEXT proposal | Conventional concrete laboratory baseline |
|---|---|---|
| Primary structure | Mass timber and CLT components coordinated for off-site fabrication | Concrete construction, as described by the project comparison |
| Construction speed and cost | 30% faster and 10% cheaper, estimated by Chad Yoshinobu | Baseline for that estimate; absolute duration and cost are not stated |
| Site deliveries | 85% fewer, according to the project claim | Baseline quantity is not stated |
| Construction waste | 75% less, according to the project claim | Baseline quantity is not stated |
| Construction carbon | 80% less, approximately 5,200 metric tons of CO₂ saved, according to the project claim | Baseline emissions and accounting boundary are not stated |
| Annual greenhouse-gas emissions | Projected 50% reduction | Reference baseline used by the article |
| Annual energy use | Projected 30% reduction | Reference baseline used by the article |
| Planning grid | 33 by 33 feet | Not stated |
| Vibration | 6,000 MIPS design target | Not stated |
| Outdoor access | Outdoor space on every floor | Not stated |
| Community uses | Arts and cultural venue, restaurant incubator and shared kitchen | Not stated |
The comparison is useful for identifying what to test, not for declaring a universal winner. A real project would need comparable quantities, a shared carbon-accounting method, coordinated energy models and a cost plan that includes structure, fire protection, acoustics, laboratory systems and fit-out.
What owners and design teams should verify before adapting the idea
- Confirm the tenant brief. List equipment sensitivities, containment levels, exhaust needs, utility loads, floor-to-floor requirements and likely future changes before fixing the grid or structural system.
- Run a site-specific code and fire strategy. Mass timber, laboratory occupancies, public venues and food uses can trigger different fire-resistance, egress, separation and inspection requirements.
- Coordinate the kit of parts early. Structural members, CLT panels, topping slabs, shafts, mechanical systems and façade connections must be resolved before fabrication. Late changes can erase schedule and waste advantages.
- Model vibration by room and instrument. Test the structural system under expected footfall, equipment operation and service loads; do not treat the 6,000 MIPS target as a substitute for tenant-specific criteria.
- Define ventilation modes and controls. Establish when natural ventilation is allowed, how contamination and pressure are monitored, and how the building returns safely to mechanical operation.
- Set measurable carbon and energy boundaries. Document what is included in the 80 percent construction-carbon claim and the annual operating projections, then commission the completed systems so results can be compared with the model.
- Plan logistics around the site. Fewer deliveries still require crane access, protected storage, weather management, street permits and a safe sequence for public-facing areas.
- Separate public and scientific operations. Design access control, loading, kitchens, events, waste handling and emergency routes so community uses strengthen rather than disrupt laboratory functions.
The practical significance of the prototype
NEXT’s central idea is not simply to substitute timber for concrete. It combines a repeatable structural module, side-loaded circulation, coordinated vibration control, prefabrication and electric building services so that speed, tenant flexibility and decarbonization support one another. The outdoor spaces, stair and community programs extend that logic to the daily experience of workers and neighbors.
For decision-makers, the responsible reading is conditional: NEXT offers a detailed set of design strategies and ambitious performance targets, while the available account provides no measured proof from an occupied building. Its value is as a framework for testing on a real site—against local codes, tenant science, supply chains, budgets, energy models and commissioning requirements.
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