Seattle Design Commission -- Overview

Overview

The Seattle Design Commission advises the Mayor, City Council and City departments on the design of capital improvements and other projects that shape Seattle's public realm. more

Next Meeting
The Seattle Design Commission meets on the first and third Thursdays of every month. The next meeting scheduled is:

Thursday, September 2, 2010
Seattle City Hall, 600 Fourth Avenue, Boards and Commissions Room, L2-80

See agenda for the next meeting or the archive of minutes from past meetings. Want to schedule a review by the Design Commission? Contact Valerie Kinast (valerie.kinast@seattle.gov or 206 233-7911).

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Commissioners Meet the ten citizens that make up the Seattle Design Commission.
Norie Sato Fine Artist		Mary Johnston Architect		Graham Black At-Large Representative		Brendan Connolly Architect
Laurel Kunkler Engineer		Andrew Barash Engineer		Don Vehige Urban Designer		Julie Parrett Landscape Architect
Lauren Hauck Get Engaged Representative		Julie Bassuk Urban Planner
Learn more about the commissioners.

News
September 2 Meeting Canceled
The Design Commission will not meet on September 2nd. Its next meeting will be September 16th.

Two Commissioners Sought
The commission is looking for two registered architects to serve two-year terms. One term will begin October 2010 and the other term will begin February 2011. Applications for both positions are due August 30, 2010.

Your Ideas for Holding Patterns
The results are in on the Design Commission’s call for ideas for vacant project sites. The response to our call was overwhelming – we had 83 entries! Read about the finalists and honorary mentions for Holding Patterns, interim uses for stalled project sites.

Transit Oriented Community Planning
The commission urges the city develop urban design plans in neighborhoods surrounding high capacity transit. Read the letter to the Mayor and City Council (5/7/2010).

Civic Square Storyboard
Read about the design evolution of Civic Square to see how the design review process made a difference in the project's design.

Recommendations
The commission writes recommendations to public officials about the urban design merits of projects, such as:

West Thomas Street Pedestrian Overpass
The commission believes the budget constraints and the ambitious size of the bridge have combined to compromise the design to an unacceptable degree. Read the memo (11/2009).

Portal, Street and Tunnel Visual Guidelines
The commission identifies opportunities and constraints regarding the portal and vent building design and the larger urban framework surrounding the tunnel portals of the Alaskan Way Viaduct project. Read the letter (11/2009).

Stormwater Code
The commission supports updating the Seattle Stormwater Code to incorporate, define and encourage the use of green stormwater infrastructure on both public and private projects. Read the letter (9/2009).

See more recommendations. Also, read the minutes of the commission's project reviews.

Visual Resume

The Grass Blades
See the AIA award-winning The Grass Blades at the Seattle Center and how the Design Commission's review made a difference in the development of this project. Open the Visual Resume.

photo by Benjamin Benschneider

Annual Report
2009 annual report seattle design commission thumbnail
2009 Report
In 2009, the Design Commission reviewed $6.2 billion worth of public projects. For details, see the commission's annual report.