Designed by The Miller Hull Partnership, the Maritime Innovation Center at Fishermen's Terminal is an adaptive reuse of the Terminal's oldest remaining structure. The ambitious project will support and drive innovation in the maritime sector through collaborative research and development facilities. In alignment with the Port of Seattle’s mission to become the greenest and most energy-efficient Port in North America, the building is seeking full Living Building Challenge certification, with innovative and sustainable strategies, serving as a model for other ports to follow.
Fishermen’s Terminal is the home port for Seattle’s commercial fishing fleet and is poised to become the hub for the region’s growing “Blue Tech” economy. The Port has committed to growing Seattle’s maritime industrial and technology sectors and the Maritime Innovation Center embodies this commitment by bridging the past and the future. It is the cornerstone of an overall redevelopment of Fishermen’s Terminal which will see investment of over $100 million in the coming decade.
The Maritime Innovation Center will honor the cultural and economic significance of Seattle’s maritime history and celebrate its vibrant fishing industry. Critically, it will also bridge the region’s time-honored maritime traditions with its modern role as a mecca for technological innovations. The building’s anchor tenant will be Washington Maritime Blue, an organization committed to the development of maritime business, technology, and practices that promote a sustainable future.
The adaptive reuse project maintains and respects the form and mass of the 1918 building fronting the working waterfront. Most of the building and its century-old heavy timber structure will be salvaged and reused. Miller Hull’s design will enhance the iconic pitched roof by using locally sourced and industrially appropriate materials. Sustainability will be on display with the additions of rainwater cisterns and an on-site photovoltaic array. The Port has also worked to enlist site-specific public art including works by Tulalip native artist Ty Juvinel and muralist Shogo Ota.
The rehabilitation of the Maritime Innovation Center exemplifies what is possible to support equitable sustainable development to address the climate crisis, as well as the revitalization of blue-collar working communities.