The Port of Seattle is renovating its historic Ship Supply building at Fishermen’s Terminal into a modern state-of-the-art Maritime Innovation Center (MInC). This facility, built to the International Living Future Institute’s Living Building Challenge standard, will be a model of sustainability. The building will be a net positive energy facility and use salvaged and red-list free materials. The renovation will also incorporate natural ventilation, daylight and views, rainwater capture, and stormwater/graywater treatment.
The facility will also serve as a beacon of innovation and inspiration for the Maritime industry. The MInC will house Washington state’s maritime cluster organization, Maritime Blue and be a hub for knowledge transfer, business incubation, workforce development and research and development. The facility will bring partners from business, academia, government and workforce/community organizations together to collaborate and drive sustainability within Washington state’s maritime industry.
The Port’s Maritime Innovation Center will support investment in emerging maritime companies and new technologies that solve some of the Port’s challenges and advance sustainability within the broader industry. The facility includes a variety of services such as work space, conference rooms, common office equipment, direct business assistance and guidance, mentoring, networking to access capital, and other technical resources. A network of existing resources in the community can also be accessed to support client needs.
The innovation center will also drive equitable economic development. The Port and Maritime Blue are attracting women and/or minority owned startups to its current accelerator and incubator programs. The Port is also investing in career exploration programs and internships for young women and people of color and expect to anchor these programs at the MInC. The facility can become a discovery center where our next generation workforce is inspired by and nurtured along towards exciting career opportunities they see in the maritime industry.