Innovation Resource Center at the SWIFT

Historic ground, new purpose — a business incubator where the land's past gives rise to its future.

Summary

Type

Location

Sedro Woolley, Washington

Client

Northwest Innovation Resource Center

size

9,000 square feet

Phase

Completed

Design Problem

A vacated mental health facility on a historic rural site needed to become something entirely different — an open, welcoming hub for a business incubator focused on energy, technology, and emerging industries. The budget was limited and the site came with historic constraints, while USDA Rural Development grant requirements added another layer of complexity.

The renovated 1990's mental health facility is situated on a historic 1920's sanitarium site now part of a city park and industry center.

Design Approach

The work was focused where it mattered most — stripping away the institutional character and replacing it with something open, collaborative, and alive. Public areas were reimagined as flexible collaboration and presentation spaces. Former patient rooms found new purpose as offices, conference rooms, and STEAM labs. New lighting and updated HVAC quietly transformed how the spaces felt to be in.

Finishes were chosen deliberately — simple and fresh in public areas, working with what already existed in more private spaces. Wall removal and structural work were kept to a minimum, preserving budget without compromising the transformation. Costs were further managed by separating interior and exterior work between building owner and tenant — a practical solution that kept the project moving forward without losing scope.

New collaboration and work spaces were created by removing select patient rooms and opening to the corridor.

Bright colors and pronounced patterns remove a lot of the old institutional atmosphere.

Results

What was once institutional is now inviting. The facility has become a genuine community asset — supported by the city and regional partners who see it as a catalyst for innovation in the area it serves. The project came in under budget.