![Allen Institute / Perkins+Will - Beam, Windows, Handrail](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/565f/c2a1/e58e/ce20/b400/0393/medium_jpg/AIBS_interior_atriumpods.jpg?1449116298)
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Architects: Perkins&Will
- Area: 270000 ft²
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Photographs:Hedrich Blessing
![Allen Institute / Perkins+Will - Image 16 of 17](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/565f/c313/e58e/ce20/b400/0395/newsletter/Allen_Institute_Project_Summary_and_Diagrams3.jpg?1449116421)
Text description provided by the architects. The 270,000-square-foot life science building is six stories tall and includes about 9,000 square feet of ground floor retail space as well as four levels of subterranean parking.
![Allen Institute / Perkins+Will - Windows, Facade](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/565f/c1cb/e58e/ce20/b400/038f/newsletter/AIBS_exterior_historicfacade.jpg?1449116088)
The design orients labs like flower petals around a large light-filled central atrium; the effect is like the inside of a bee hive where researchers can see each other and what they are doing, making the space more collaborative, flexible, and transparent.
![Allen Institute / Perkins+Will - Stairs, Beam, Windows, Steel, Handrail](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/565f/c32d/e58e/ce70/b600/03a6/medium_jpg/AIBS_interior_stairs01.jpg?1449116439)
Offices, open space, and interacting stairs enable chance encounters between colleagues and staff, helping build community.
Usually tucked-away lab work is made transparent and visible from the exterior via materials such as perforated shading and woven metal embedded within the glass façade.
![Allen Institute / Perkins+Will - Chair](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/565f/c2b6/e58e/ce70/b600/03a3/newsletter/AIBS_interior_auditorium.jpg?1449116324)
Through an energy modeling of building systems, Perkins+Will was able to achieve a very high degree of exterior transparency. At 56-percent, it is almost double Seattle’s maximum requirements.
The space includes wet and dry labs, a data center, auditorium, atrium, and collaborative working spaces.
![Allen Institute / Perkins+Will - Image 17 of 17](https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/565f/c2eb/e58e/ce20/b400/0394/newsletter/Allen_Institute_Project_Summary_and_Diagrams2.jpg?1449116382)