New commercial project planned

The architect hopes the 10-office complex will look ‘like it had

been there forever.’

With a courtyard, fountain and stone accents, the two-story office building set to break ground this summer on Wyatt Way is a throwback to styles a century and a continent away.

“It’s not going to be your regular, cookie-cutter box,” said Cihan Anisoglu, the architect designing the 10,000-square -foot Wyatt Way Courtyard Offices project. “I wanted it to be interesting and look like the cool old buildings I’ve seen in Copenhagen, France and Turkey.”

The new two-story structure, which will replace a small brown building set between Madison and Ericksen, is expected to house 10 office spaces ranging in size from 580 to 1,200 square feet. About 24 of the project’s 40 parking spaces will be tucked under the building.

Each office will be sold condo-style, with businesses owning rather than renting their spaces. Selling the offices means Anisoglu, who recently moved his firm to Bainbridge from Seattle, can raise the bar on the typical office park design.

“The economics of building an office is crucial, so you end up watching the budget very carefully,” he said. “But we’re selling the spaces to justify the design. People will spend more on the space and value it more because they’ll own it.”

The building’s arched entryway, which faces the Island Homestead apartment complex across the street, opens into a large plaza with potted plants, small trees and a central fountain. Second-floor balconies face into the plaza, helping to create a pleasant, social atmosphere, Anisoglu said.

“The offices open into a courtyard that I hope will be a gathering space throughout the day,” he said. “People will maybe have lunch out there and do some reading or take their computers out to do some work.”

Anisoglu also splurged with the building’s materials, which will include copious amounts of brick and stone.

“I wanted it to be more timeless in character, like it had been there forever,” he said.

The site’s present building houses a handful of tenants, including an artist and a tailor. Their leases end just before construction of the project is set to begin. Anisoglu expects the project’s completion early next year.

All of the nearly half-acre site’s existing vegetation will be removed during construction. The project’s plans include a number of small trees and landscaping plants lining the building’s perimeter.

About 97 percent of the parcel will be covered with impervious surfaces. The building’s businesses, once all its vacancies are filled, should generate 40 to 80 vehicle trips per day, according to the project’s city application.

Owned by island residents Karla and Randolph Mather, much of the property’s development direction is being handled by Anisoglu and MRJ Constructors. Anisoglu designed Eagle Harbor Inn on south Madison Avenue, while MRJ built the Winslow building at the corner of Winslow Way and Ericksen.

A few prospective buyers have already shown “serious interest” in the project, Anisoglu said. He expects the building to be ideal for medical or dental offices.

It’s apparently appealing to architects as well.

Anisoglu plans to move his office there as soon as it’s completed.

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