Where We've Been

case studies

Starbucks Center, Seattle

At 10:55 a.m. PST on Feb. 28, 2001, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 on the Richter scale struck near Olympia, Washington. This quake was felt throughout Washington, Oregon and British Columbia.

While the Washington quake wasn't as costly or deadly as Northridge, Washington's governor reported billions of dollars in damage.

Many Seattle buildings - about 70 miles north of the quake's epicenter - were damaged. House chimneys and roof parapets provided much evidence that the earthquake was sizeable. One of the most notable buildings damaged was Seattle's Starbucks Center.

Originally built in 1914 on fill-in to Seattle tidelands, the Starbucks Center has grown to 10 additions of 2 million sq. ft. on 17 acres of urban industrial land. At one time, it was Sears & Roebuck's West Coast distribution center.

Today, the Starbucks Center is the world headquarters for Starbucks Coffee. There also are dozens of other tenants. Starbucks Center is a mixed-used facility that houses retail, offices, warehouse space, manufacturing and distribution centers.

The earthquake toppled parapet walls that fell more than 100 feet onto the street, sidewalks and parked cars. Remarkably, injuries were minor and there were no deaths. Many of the building's numerous stairwells and elevator shafts were damaged, and brick walls cracked.

Shortly after the quake, YOUNG & Associates were called in as consultant for the three companies that insured the building.

On this Starbucks Center project, YOUNG & Associates provided consulting, estimating and clerking services for the three insurers. Services to date have included:

• Facilitating and drafting minutes with involved parties, including adjusters, attorneys, architects, engineers, the building owner, owner representatives, contractors, subcontractors and accountants.
• Cost estimates.
• Full-time oversight of the repair planning and implementation.
• Coordinating with hazardous material engineers, design engineers and accountants.
• Maintaining a digital photo log by date and building location.
• Reviewing and logging monthly invoices, timesheets, and sign-in sheets.
• Exceptions reporting (repair costs believed to be unrelated to the earthquake).
• Logging subcontractor proposals: tracking bid awards and costs to complete.
• Writing weekly job reports and on-site monitoring of progress.
• Project cost to-date: continuously updating actual and projected costs.
• All reports, spreadsheets and photos are stored and communicated electronically.

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