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City of Seattle
Gregory J. Nickels, Mayor
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NEWS ADVISORY
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| SUBJECT: Mayor Nickels Announces Choice for Civic Plaza Development
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
2/22/2007 12:00:00 PM |
FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
Alex Fryer (206) 684-8358
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Mayor Nickels Announces Choice for Civic Plaza Development
Triad Development’s winning design
features office, residential,
and public plaza
SEATTLE – Mayor Greg Nickels and City Councilmember Jan Drago today
announced the choice of Triad Development Inc. to redevelop the downtown block
where the Public Safety Building (PSB) once stood.
“I look forward to working with Triad as we develop an iconic new landmark
in the heart of our city,” Nickels said. “The new Civic Plaza will
bring new homes, new jobs and a much needed public gathering place to our downtown.
This will be a part of our future and I will enjoy watching it go up.”
“We are honored to be selected to create this new heart of Seattle ’s
government and historic districts with our Seattle Civic Square,” said
Fred Grimm, CEO and co-founder of Triad Development Inc., who has brought together
an international team to develop the new public open space. “We will
engage the people of Seattle as we design this project so that it will truly
reflect the community it serves.”
“This proposal by Triad exceeds my highest expectations to meet the
Civic Center master plan with an iconic building and vibrant Civic Plaza designed
by internationally-acclaimed architect Sir Norman Foster,” said Drago.
The development will feature:
- A mixed use 650,000 square-foot office and residential tower of approximately
28 floors located on the northern portion of the site. The tower features
a unique flowing design appearing as two interconnected towers forming a
shape akin to a figure eight that will fully integrate with the design of
the open space.
- A public civic plaza on the southern portion of the site, underground
parking and approximately 36,000 square feet of retail.
The garage and tower will be owned by the developer and the open space and
retail will be owned by the city of Seattle, or, at the city’s option,
a non-profit formed for the purpose of operating the open space.
Triad’s proposed design is a collaborative result of a team featuring
the architectural firm of Foster Partners of London, German landscape architecture
firm Atelier Dreiseitl and the Seattle based architectural firm GGLO.
In conjunction with the City Hall plaza across the street, the distinctive
open space will provide a place for recreation, relaxation and celebration.
Planned features for the open space include:
- Extensive landscaping in cascading terraces down from Fourth Avenue ;
- Green roofs on retail spaces;
- A water feature flowing through the site; and
- A “Peoples’ Pavilion” designed to support a variety
of events (music, exhibits, lectures, gatherings, and citizen based activities)
inside a glass enclosure.
The open space will be accessible from all four sides of the block, including
access through a large open atrium under the building from Cherry Street and
an enhanced escalator connection to the Metro transit tunnel on Third Avenue.
The mixed use tower will strive for a Platinum LEED rating and the proposal
incorporates innovative strategies for saving energy and water. Sustainable
elements incorporated into the design include:
- Solar thermal collectors for residential hot water;
- Rooftop wind turbines to harness wind between the two towers;
- Photovoltaic cells integrated into the roof pavilion;
- Grey water from residential uses filtered and recycled for office toilet
flushing;
- Double skin technology on the southwest façade; and
- A stormwater management and rainwater harvesting system
The total proposed consideration to the city is subject to final negotiations
but is approximately $25-$26 million in total consideration, including the
construction cost of the open space and retail.
Redevelopment of the PSB block completes the city’s Civic Center Campus.
The block is bordered by James Street on the south, Cherry Street on the north,
Third Avenue on the west and Fourth Avenue on the east.
The selection of Triad concludes a two-phase selection process that began
in June 2006, with a Request for Concepts (RFC). From the five RFCs submitted,
three firms were asked to compete in a rigorous Request for Proposals in October
2006. The three firms were Triad, Opus, and Wright Runstad, who elected to
withdraw before submitting a proposal.
Selection of Triad was a unanimous decision of the Civic Plaza Client Group,
which includes City Councilmembers Jan Drago, Tom Rasmussen, and Peter Steinbrueck;
Ken Nakatsu, Mayor’s Chief of Departmental Operations; Dwight Dively,
director of Finance; and Brenda Bauer, Fleets and Facilities director. The city of Seattle is represented in this process by The Staubach Company.
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Office of the Mayor
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