1. DREAMS TO REALITY
The Transition from
Planning to New Facilities

2. Why consider a capital project?

3. When Vision, Need and
Opportunity Collide

4. The Seattle Art Museum
A Case Study

6. VISION
SAM Connects Art to Life

7. NEED
Projecting into the Future
We were ready!
• Space Study - 1999
– Assess 30 year need for collection growth
• Wallace Grant - 2000
– Expand, diversify and enhance audience
participation
• Master planning study - 2001
– Design concepts for potential expansion

8. OPPORTUNITY - 1999
• Last piece of undeveloped waterfront land
in downtown Seattle comes on the market

9. SAM/TRUST FOR PUBLIC LAND
PARTNERSHIP
• SAM and TPL join forces to purchase the
land – a former brown field – for the
Olympic Sculpture Park
• Additional funding for land purchase from
federal, state, county and municipal
sources.
• $20 million endowment pledged for park’s
operations (park can be free!)

10. OPPORTUNITY - 2001
• Washington Mutual proposes codevelopment of SAM property

11. SAM/WASHINGTON MUTUAL
PROPOSAL
• Museum gets 335,000 square feet (12
floors) to meet short and long term space
needs
– Unused space (8 floors) leased back to WaMu
– pays debt for shell and core
• WaMu gets 890,000 square feet (42 floors)
to consolidate office space downtown

12. CAN WE DO IT???
• Test feasibility
– Vision
– Space
• Test resources
• People
• Financial

13. SAM FEASIBILITY STUDY
•Set a goal
•Set a deadline
•Ask for money
•No money, no project…

14. THE CAMPAIGN

15. THE CASE
• Vision and goals
– What will we be, not what we will build…
• Business plan
– How will we sustain the expanded facility and
program?

16. THE TEAM
• Board
– Developed and expanded with campaign in
mind
• Project management/consultants
– Assembled internal and external teams to
execute
• Community
– Enlisted participation of community leaders –
”SAM Partners”

17. THE TRANSFORMATION OF SAM
CAMPAIGN
Two goals:
• Raise $180 million
• Increase community participation and
ownership

18. THE STRUCTURE

20. Opportunities for
involvement at all levels
Community
engagement
spurred major gifts

21. Every gift counts
Permanent recognition
begins at $1000

22. THE RESULTS
•Raised $227 million
•10,000 donors
•Over 50% new donors to SAM
•Largest campaign for cultural
institution in the Northwest
•Community participation and
goodwill

23. THE AFTERMATH
2007-2013

24. JANUARY 2007: Olympic Sculpture Park opens

25. FEBRUARY 2007:
Washington Mutual
dedicates new office
tower

26. MAY 2007: SAM REOPENS

27. MAY 2007:
SAM REOPENS

29. WHEN VISION, NEED, OPPORTUNITY

30. WHEN VISION, NEED, OPPORTUNITY
AND UNFORESEEN CIRCUMSTANCES
COLLIDE

31. September 2008 – crash!

32. WHAT TO DO????

33. “It all starts and ends with a
focus on programming.”
Michael Kaiser
President of the John F. Kennedy
Center for the Performing Arts
Author of The Art of the Turnaround

34. •
Drop in Hopper Ad

35. •
Drop in Yale Ad

36. THE SPECIAL EXHIBITION FUND
•Develop fund to support ambitious
international exhibition program
•Works as bridge fund until ready to
launch an endowment campaign

37. GOAL
$10 million over 5 years
RESULT
$8 million over 4 years

38. OCTOBER 2010

39. PICASSO RESULTS
• 407,000 visitors
• 17,000 new members
• New audiences, new promotional and
community partners

40. PICASSO ECONOMIC IMPACT
• $66 million in economic impact to
Washington state
• $22.7 million in direct visitor spending
• 1,000 jobs supported
• 50% visitors came from outside
Seattle/King County

41. Seattle Weekly Best of

42. MARCH
2013

44. MIRROR
by Doug Aitken
March 24, 2013

46. It’s not because of our need, but
because of our meaning…

47. A Case Study
Dreams to Reality

48. Project Management?
A generally systematic approach to getting fifty
or more cats from point A to point B, while
keeping your board involved (but not too much),
your donors happy, your staff from burning out
and your institution solvent.
In other words, herding cats…

49. The “Herd”
o Contractor
o Architect
o Exhibits Team
o Curators
o Facilities
o AV Team
o Service Providers
o Movers
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
o
IT Vendors
The Board
The Director
Public Art
Donors
The City
Visitors
Community

50. Adding structure to the process…
Flow of
Information
Architect
Consultants
General Contractor
Subcontractors
MOHAI Board
Exhibit Design Team
MOHAI Staff
Attorney
New Museum
Committee
and
Project Manager
Other Consultants
Other Stakeholders
City of Seattle
Other Jurisdictions
…so you can make fully informed decisions.

51. A regional history museum serving Puget Sound
– Humble beginnings 1914
– Move to Montlake 1952
• 1962 State Highway 520
– Search for a new home – SR 520
• Downtown location
– An Invitation to study the Armory
• City Partnership
• Due Diligence 2007-2008

53. Where we started…
– City Contributes the building and capital needed to
bring the building up to code
– MOHAI raises the capital to make the “shell” a
museum
– MOHAI runs the project
Enter the recession….

54. What was offered
– City Contributes the building and BUT NO capital
– MOHAI gets to negotiate with the State for the
taking of the Montlake building
– MOHAI raises the rest of the capital.
– MOHAI runs the project…and takes all the risk.

55. And by the way…
– The building has historic covenants
– It actually sits over water on old pilings (don’t forget the
endangered salmon…)
– It’s sinking in one corner…
– You can’t fit all your staff and stuff in it…
– There is almost no parking…
– And, oh, its not really your ideal space for museum with
lots of windows and low ceilings. Hmm.
A risky proposition for a little museum.

56. We’ll
Take it!
Location, Location, Location.

57. • Fast forward to 2013
– Attendance on track for an 8x increase over
Montlake (4x over the business plan)

58. Fast forward to 2013
– Rental and event income is up 5x

59. Fast forward to 2013
– Free attendance to all 14 and under and everyone
on our first Thursday

60. Fast forward to 2013
– LEED Platinum museums in the nation (one of less
than 10)

61. Fast forward to 2013
– Awards achievement in design, exhibits, public art
and historic restoration

62. Fast forward to 2013
– We have built our endowment, operating and
capital reserves to $20m

63. So, how did we get here?

64. So, how did we get here?
We’ll
Take it!

65. Here’s how…

66. The Process
• Define the Requirements
• Select and Manage the Team
• Establish the Delivery Goals
Then manage the team (and client) to work within them.

67. • Define the Requirements
– Vision, Goals and Program
– Due Diligence and Feasibility Studies
The Cost of Change
over time

68. • Select and manage the Team
– Get the Right Team in Place
– Consultants
•
•
•
•
Architect
Contractor
Exhibit Design
Exhibit Fabricator
– Staff and Board
Collaboration, communication and teamwork …

69. • Integrate with the Board and Staff
– Role of Board Committees
• Design, Finance, Operations
– Coordination with Staff
• Exhibits, Development, Facilities, Finance

70. • Establish and Manage Delivery Goals - Cost
– Feasibility Studies
– Budgets and cost control
• Frequent check-ins and small course corrections
– Cash flow, cash flow, cash flow!
How you communicate these is critical.

71. • Establish and Manage Delivery Goals - Cost
– Type of Budgets
• Capital ($30m)
– Design, Permitting, Construction of Building
• Institutional Development ($6m)
– Staff, Development, Transition
• Exhibits ($19m)
– Acquisition, Content, Design, Fabrication
• Operating Reserves and Endowments ($20m)
– Protecting your investment
This excludes another $10m for the Conservation & Research Center.

72. • Establish and Manage Delivery Goals - Cost
– Matching your Sources and Uses
• Sources
– Campaign, Grants, Mitigation Proceeds, Tax Credits
– Creative Financing
• Uses
– Capital, Institutional Development, Exhibitions, Reserves
• Financing and Bridging
– Campaign Timing

73. • Establish and Manage Delivery Goals Schedule
– Be Patient
– Milestones and checkpoints
– Firm but flexible

74. Building
• Establish and Manage Delivery
Goals
Schematic Design
And Budget
Design
Development
and Budget
Construction Documents
Bidding
Grand
Opening!
Construction
Exhibit Installation
Exhibits
Exhibit Fabrication
Exhibit Design Documents
Exhibit Schematic
Design
Exhibit Concept
Design
2008
2009
2010
2011

75. • Establish and Manage Delivery Goals –
Decision Making
– Key to Success
– Collaboration and Communication
– Get the best information possible
– But have a final decision maker

76. What makes these projects special…
– The mission
– The people
– The impact
But it’s the one I most enjoyed sharing with my kids.

77. What makes these projects special…
– The mission
– The people
– The impact
But it’s the one I most enjoyed sharing with my kids.

78. From Dreams to Reality:
Design and Construction

79. The Design & Construction Process
• Predesign
3 – 6 months
Feasibility Planning Study
Programming
Concept Design
• Design
9 – 18 months
Schematic Design
Design Development
Construction Documents
• Construction
12 – 24 months
• Exhibit Installation
3 – 6 months

80. Feasibility Planning Study
Test Project Viability and Different Concept Ideas
Align Project Aspirations with Funding Capacity

81. Space Programming
Room Data Sheets,
Room Diagrams and
Summary Program
Difference between
“net area” and
“gross area”
Coordinate with
Exhibit Planning
Client Sign-off Required

82. Concept Design
Test Fit of Program
Size and Adjacencies
Confirm Construction
Budget
Provide Vision for
Fundraising

83. Design Process
Schematic Design (SD)
Design Development (DD)
Coordination with
Engineering Consultants
Verify Code Compliance
Refine Cost Estimates
Develop Design in
Conjunction with Exhibit
Planning and Design

84. Design Process
Construction Documents (CD)
Includes Drawings
and Specifications
Used for Building
Permit, Bidding
and Construction

85. Construction
Exciting Time
Quick Decisions
Required
Fundraising Tour
Opportunities
Renovations are
Impactful to
Operations
(image)

86. Post Construction
Commissioning and Training
Furnishings and
Equipment
Exhibit / Artifact
Installation
First Year of Operations

87. Additional Considerations
• Contractor Selection
• Building Information Modeling
• Renovations vs. New Construction
• What Makes an Effective Client?

88. Contractor Selection
Public vs. Private Institution
Delivery Options
Design – Bid – Build
Negotiated Selection
Pre-Construction Services
by Contractor
Cost Estimating
Schedule Development
Constructibility Reviews
Value Engineering

89. Building Information Modeling (BIM)
Improved Systems
Coordination
Enhanced Visualization
Early Performance
Analysis and Simulation
Better Coordination with
Exhibit Design Team
Opportunity for
Digital Fabrication

90. Sustainable Design
Daylight and Views –
Control Light and UV
Energy – Best Payback
Water – Climate
Responsive
Materials and Indoor
Air Quality – Align with
Museum Requirements
Certification
LEED
Living Building Challenge

91. Renovation vs. New Construction
Renovations Can:
Preserve Cultural Resources
Save Money (sometimes)
Save Time (sometimes)
Reduce Planning Options
Increase Risk of Unknown Conditions

92. Renovation Issues

93. Renovation Issues
System Improvements
Structural
Mechanical
Electrical
Acoustical

94. Renovation Issues
Accessibility
Elevators
Pathways
Restrooms

95. What Makes an Effective Client?
Consensus Builder
Good Decision Making
Organizational Clarity
Good Team Chemistry
Trust in Design and
Construction Team

96. Dreams to Reality