Degenkolb designed the new 230,000 square foot Department of Veterans Affairs mental health building with a high-performing buckling restrained braced frame system to promote seismic resiliency.
Department of Veterans Affairs, Seattle Mental Health Facility and Parking Garage
To provide excellent patient care to the mind as well as the body of our veterans, the VA envisioned a new mental health and research building with a new 1,000 car parking structure to serve their Seattle campus. Degenkolb designed the new 230,000 sf building with a high-performing buckling restrained braced frame system to promote seismic resiliency. To accommodate the flow of traffic on campus without encroaching on facility space, a portion of the parking structure will be subterranean while the aboveground portion is narrow and tall. The project team worked together to come up with a phasing plan that successfully delivers these sophisticated facilities and improvements within a constrained site. LEED® Gold certification is targeted.
Features:
- New parking structure
- BRB frame system
- LEED Gold targeting
- Mental health treatment
- Structural System: structural steel frame with buckling restrained braced frames (MHR), reinforced concrete (Parking Structure)
- Service: New Design
Benefits:
- Mission critical performance to allow for “off the grid” operation for 4+ days
- Blast-resistant design
- Solar panels (Parking Structure)
- Green Roof (MHR)
Rendering courtesy of Stantec
Project Stats
Client
Department of Veterans Affairs,
Stantec Architecture,
Square Footage
230,000
Construction Cost
$110 million ($110m for MHR, $50m for Parking Garage)
Completion Date
2018 (MHR), 2016 (Parking Structure)
Back To All Projects
Project Team
Cale Ash
Group Director Principal
I have climbed three of the five volcanoes in Washington.
David Sommer
Associate Principal
I am a professional musician and I play piano at church, weddings, ...
Devon Lumbard
Group Director Principal
I taught Statics and Concrete Design courses at Portland State ...
Jim Malley
Senior Principal
I am a third-generation San Franciscan and have never lived more than ...
Cale Ash
Group Director, Principal
Seattle
- (206) 340-8102
- cash@degenkolb.com
Education
M.S., Structural Engineering, University of Illinois, 2003
B.S., Civil Engineering, University of Illinois, 2001
Registration
CA, Structural Engineer, License No. 5305
CA, Civil Engineer, License No. 68913
WA, Civil Engineer, License No. 44835
Little Known Fact
I have climbed three of the five volcanoes in Washington: Mount Baker (10,781 ft), Mount Adams (12,276 ft), and Mount Rainier (14,411 ft). Still on the list: Mount St. Helens (8365 ft) and Glacier Peak (10,541 ft).
Why did you go into Earthquake Engineering?
During graduate school I travelled to Taipei, Taiwan as part of a reconnaissance trip after the 1999 Chi Chi earthquake. Observing the damage firsthand led me to focus my career on reducing the impact of future earthquakes.
Question of the Day
What hobby would you go into if time and money weren’t an issue?
I would definitely get into private aviation and have a small plane to travel up and down the West Coast with my family. There are so many beautiful areas to explore and what better way to see them than from the sky!
Dan Sloat
Associate
Seattle
- (206) 340-8115
- dsloat@degenkolb.com
Education
B.S., Rice University
M.S., University of Washington
Registration
WA, Civil Engineer, License No. 55820
CA, Civil Engineer, License No. 86004
Why did you go into structural engineering?
I have always had a passion for designing and constructing. Structural engineering in particular really clicked for me when I went on a job shadow of a structural engineer as part of a middle school project. I saw a SAP model for the first time and toured the new Seattle Transit Tunnel, and I knew the field was a perfect fit for me.
Little Known Fact
I am an amateur board game designer.
Question of the Day
What’s your favorite way to get to work?
Running.
David Sommer
Associate Principal
Seattle
- (206) 340-8114
- dsommer@degenkolb.com
Education
B.S., Civil Engineering (BSCE), Seattle University, 2007
M.S., Civil Engineering (MSCE), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2010
Registration
WA, Structural Engineer, License No. 55185
WA, Professional Engineer, License No. 55185
CA, Civil Engineer, License No. 79475
IL, Structural Engineer, License No. 081.007830
Why did you go into Engineering?
I always wanted a job that used what I was best at: math, science, problem solving, etc. I searched through many types of jobs in high school and couldn’t find where I felt like I fit until I drove past a construction site and it clicked. From that moment on I wanted to be a structural engineer, and I never wavered.
Little known fact
I am a professional musician and I play piano at church, weddings, funerals, and special events.
Question of the Day
What hobby would you go into if time and money weren’t an issue?
Cooking
Devon Lumbard
Group Director, Principal
Sacramento
- (510) 250-1260
- dlumbard@degenkolb.com
Education
B.S., Civil Engineering, UC Davis, 2003
M.S., Civil Engineering, UC San Diego, 2005
Registration
CA, Structural Engineering, License No. 5552
CA, Civil Engineering, License No. 71487
Why did you go into Structural Engineering?
Early on I realized I was a problem solver. Before college, I narrowed it down to two professions: medicine and engineering. I concluded that above all else, I enjoyed mathematics and analytical thinking. I’ve always gotten great satisfaction from managing and seeing a project through from beginning to end, and I prefer being part of a team where the diverse skills and strengths of our team members complement one another.
Little Known Fact
I taught Statics and Concrete Design courses at Portland State University.
Question of the Day
What hobby would you go into if time and money weren’t an issue?
Soaring (also known as flying a glider or sailplane).
Jim Malley
Senior Principal
San Francisco
- (415) 354-6419
- malley@degenkolb.com
Education
B.S., Civil Engineering University of California, Berkeley, 1980
M.Eng., Structural Engineering University of California, Berkeley, 1983
Registration
CA, Structural Engineer, License No. 3044
CA, Civil Engineer, License No. 38451
OR, Professional Engineer, Civil/Structural, License No. 64360
NV, Professional Engineer Civil/Structural, License No. 017640
WA, Professional Engineer, License No. 55143
Why did you go into structural engineering?
When I entered college, I originally was in the mechanical engineering department at Berkeley, interested in the sub-discipline of petroleum engineering (mostly because this was a few years after the energy crisis of the mid 1970’s). After learning more about what mechanical would entail, and realizing that this wasn’t going to be a good fit for my interests, I switched into Civil Engineering. Once I began taking classes in the various disciplines of Civil, I determined that structural would be the best for me, especially living in California with our exposure to earthquakes.
Little Known Fact
I am a 3rd generation San Franciscan and have never lived more than 20 miles from the City. I’ve also coached little league baseball for 30 years, which is finally coming to an end.
Question of the Day
What’s your favorite team?
SF Giants.
Kyle Steuck
Principal
Seattle
- (206) 340-8108
- ksteuck@degenkolb.com
Education
M.S., Civil Engineering, University of Washington, 2007
B.S., Civil Engineering, University of Texas at Austin, 2004
Registration
CA, Structural Engineer, License No. 5965
CA, Civil Engineer, License No. 76269
WA, Structural Engineer, License No. 48423
Why did you go into structural engineering?
Problem solving has always been a good fit for me, and in school I loved working in a field where we can touch the materials that we’re working with. Being entrusted with solving problems in the buildings where people live and work and run their businesses is a privilege.
Little Known Fact
I got to ride my bike alongside Robin Williams for a short stretch. He was funnier than I could ever hope to be, and it turns out he could ride faster too.
Question of the Day
What’s your favorite way to get to work?
By bike – especially on a Tuesday night in the summer passing by Lake Union.
