Core Design Team

Firm: Olson Kundig
Tom Kundig FAIA, RIBA – Design Principal
Stephen Yamada-Heidner AIA, LEED AP – Principal / Project Manager
Edward Lalonde – Project Architect
Justin Helmbrecht LEED AP – Project Architect
Gavin Argo – Architectural Staff
Julia Khorsand – Architectural Staff
Olivier Landa AIA, LEED AP BD+C – Architectural Staff
Phil Turner – Gizmo Design

Consultants/Collaborators

General Contractor – Skanska
Civil & Structural Engineer – Magnusson Klemencic Associates
Electrical Engineer – Stantec
Mechanical Engineer – WSP
Landscape Architect – Gustafson Guthrie Nichol
Exhibit Design – Evidence Design
Laboratories – BergerABAM
Museum Programmer – Walter Crimm Associates
Accessibility Consultant – Karen Braitmayer
Lighting Design – Niteo Lighting
Elevators – Lerch Bates
Building Envelope – RDH
Gizmo Fabrication – Turner Exhibits
Specifications – Cite Specific

Project Narrative

The Burke Museum cares for over 16 million artifacts and specimens from throughout the Pacific and Coast Salish region, ranging from totem poles and gemstones to fossils. As a teaching institution affiliated with the University of Washington, the Burke seeks to help curators, visitors, educators and students understand the connections between the natural world and cultural heritage, while engaging with and honoring Indigenous communities in this area.

Museum Inside-Out
Revising the guest experience of its previous building—where many items were stored unseen in the basement—the new Burke Museum breaks down traditional barriers between public and “back-of-house” spaces, turning the museum inside-out. Integrating collections and research labs with galleries enables visitors to engage with the process of scientific discovery in a true working museum. Porous edges, including a 24-foot-by-20-foot pivoting window wall extend this transparency, opening the Burke to a new outdoor courtyard and flexible gathering space.

A Rational, Flexible Building
The architecture of the Burke Museum merges a simple form with intuitive functional organization. Efficient floor plans provide 66% more area for research and display of the museum’s artifacts, with controlled areas for sensitive pieces or items not available for public view. Each space is designed for flexibility, allowing the museum to adjust to its changing inventory over time.

Contextually Responsive Design
The building’s exterior centers the Burke Museum within its cultural and environmental context. The Burke’s sloping roofline follows the site topography, linking the building to the surrounding landscape. Tall, narrow windows echo the straight vertical lines of cedar and fir forests across the Pacific Northwest, framed by highly sustainable Kebony siding. This product will silver over time, referencing similar applications of natural cedar throughout Coast Salish communities.

Design for Equitable Communities
Dual entrances frame pedestrian connections and explicitly welcome visitors from both campus and community. Large windows frame exterior views and allow visitors to orient themselves as they progress through collections. Views into the museum from the street likewise expose the Burke’s ongoing work to passersby. Extensive collaboration with Tribal and Indigenous communities throughout design and exhibit planning including a Native American Advisory Board—ensured that this increased access to collections remained respectful and culturally sensitive.

Design for Economy
The new Burke Museum integrates high-efficiency, cost-effective mechanical systems, as well as a circulation spine that acts as central corridor, gallery space and exhibit pathway—reducing the building footprint. Storage units can be vertically expanded as collections grow, assuring continued functionality for decades to come. Materials throughout the museum—including Kebony siding, steel and concrete—were selected for their durability, ease of maintenance and longevity.

Design for Energy
Conservation strategies like carefully zoned lighting systems and office occupancy sensors reduce the museum’s energy use by more than 29%. An intelligent View Glass skylight introduces natural daylight without damaging collections, while glazing throughout laboratory and exhibit areas further brightens the interior. Manual shades and operable windows allow staff to proactively control their own comfort and passively condition workspaces.