This half-block high-rise community offers enviable amenities: a fitness center with a yoga studio and personal trainers, private balconies, below grade parking that includes electrical vehicle charging, and a spa dedicated to four-legged creatures, all topped by the Sky Lounge on the 24th floor. Residents are only steps from Seattle Center and the waterfront Olympic Sculpture Park. Multiple transit options provide links to South Lake Union and downtown.
Responded to the architect’s vision of spacious floor plans by designing a thin, 7.5-inch slab in the towers. Floor-to-floor glazing optimizes the daylighting and views.
A cascading tower above the podium maximized the number of units, but created a seismic imbalance between the 160-foot tier and the 250-foot tier. A central core and a T-shaped wall provide stability throughout the structure’s height.
Designed to meet recently-enacted city stormwater code requirements, the project accommodates a 625-square-foot bioretention planter on the second floor, requiring 400 psf of support compared to that of a traditional landscape design load of 250 psf. Close coordination by the team on design implications, particularly reinforcement necessary to carry this load, was crucial to our success in overcoming the challenges presented by the heavy tank.
Incorporated the “Growing Vine Street” urban watershed preservation program, unique to the Belltown neighborhood, with a 100-square-foot private rain garden. The 6,900-square-foot vegetated roof and the bioretention planter together manage and mitigate the flow of 102,000 gallons of water per year (this equates to roughly 2,267 pints of beer per day).
Close collaboration between our structural and civil teams was evident during permitting. Together we provided a united, proactive representation to the city, anticipating what information the reviewers would need and answering questions promptly. In many instances, the cycle of receiving and responding to reviewer comments occurred in less than 24 hours.
Photography © Francis Zera