Maritime Innovation Center to Anchor Blue Tech Hub

An adaptive reuse project at Seattle’s historic Fishermen’s Terminal has been named a finalist in the 8th annual GRAY Awards, in the On the Boards breakout category. The Miller Hull Partnership designed the Maritime Innovation Center, which aims to turn the terminal into a hub for the region’s Blue Tech economy.

Fishermen’s Terminal gets a high-tech makeover

The Port of Seattle is betting on a mix of old and new. The 1918 former Seattle Ship Supply Building will become the Maritime Innovation Center, a place for small startups. Right next to it, the Gateway Maritime Technology Incubator will offer flexible industrial workspaces for more established maritime companies. Together, they form the Maritime Innovation District.

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It wants to grow Seattle’s maritime industrial and tech sectors. Fishermen’s Terminal has long been the home port for the city’s commercial fishing fleet. Now it is supposed to also become a launchpad for “Blue Tech” — companies working on ocean-related technology and sustainability.

A Living Building on a working waterfront

The design team is chasing full ILFI Living Building Challenge certification. That is a rigorous standard — the building must generate its own energy, treat its own water, and avoid toxic materials. The agency’s own goal is to become “the Greenest Port in North America,” and this project is meant to be a model for other ports.

Embodied carbon from the rehab: 832 tons, fully offset. The century-old heavy timber structure will mostly stay. The building’s form and mass remain the same, with locally sourced industrial materials added on.

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Some observers note that meeting Living Building standards on an active industrial waterfront is no small feat. The site has to account for both pedestrian safety and heavy truck traffic. The design includes setting and wayfinding improvements to handle that tension.

Art, history, and a bit of awkwardness

The project includes public art from Tulalip native artist Ty Juvinel and muralist Shogo Ota. An Indigenous interpretive program and a public historian are also part of the team. The idea is to honor the cultural and economic significance of Seattle’s maritime history while bridging it with modern tech.

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Indoor environmental quality gets attention too — daylighting, natural ventilation, and no chemicals of concern. The project is supposed to promote regeneration, not just reduce harm. Whether the agency can actually pull it off on a working dock remains to be seen.

The Miller Hull Partnership, founded in 1977, has studios in Seattle and San Diego. The firm’s own offices are Living Building Petal Certified. They launched an initiative called EMission Zero in 2021, aiming to eliminate greenhouse gas emissions from the buildings they design.