The Story of the Waterfront Design

Meaning and history can be found everywhere in how the Waterfront was designed.

Waterfront’s urban design reinforces the nature of the region with a layered, neutral palette that features as a backdrop for the plantings as well as programming and activation. Influences of tribal materials, patterns, and stories are incorporated along with reclaimed elements.

On the left, a close up of rocks that says 'materials', and on the right, a indigenous woven basket that says 'patterns"

Below are examples of the materials, palette, designs, and storytelling that truly make the waterfront a special place for all.

Indigenous Stories

Seattle Waterfront coordinated with the Muckleshoot, Suquamish, Snoqualmie, Stillaguamish, Tulalip and Urban Natives tribes to include tribal art and storytelling into the program.

Learn more about Tribal Coordination on the waterfront.

Shoreline Alley and Flounder Lagoon

We installed pavers on the Pioneer Square project that represent the original waterfront shoreline and Flounder Lagoon. The land is infill in this historic district.

Video from the Burke Museum about this neighborhood, from Native village to metropolis.

On the left and example of white and brown pavers in Pioneer Square, making a pattern. On the right, a map showing original shoreline and lagoon in the Pioneer Square area.

Signage in the Pioneer Square area explains the history of Shoreline Alley and Flounder Lagoon. Illustrations by Paige Pettibon, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes.

Illustrations showing Shoreline Alley and Flounder Lagoon.

Indigenous Teachings

We consulted with indigenous plants teacher Valerie Segrest with the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe on the selection of plants featuring traditional uses. Valerie provided quotes for the program that have been etched on wooden boardwalks and kickplates:

A wooden kickplate that says "Plants are our greatest teachers"

Native Plantings

The planting palette on the Waterfront project relates to the history of the waterfront.

Locations:

On the south end, the planting palette speaks to the historic shoreline and includes a wide variety of native plants.
At the central waterfront the plant species relate to the global trade partners including species from the pacific ring.
At the northern end of the project, where the land rises and the bluff extends 100’ above the Waterfront, the planting relates to the “bluff to shore” planting pallets that are often seen in the Pacific Northwest.

Traditional Uses

The project team attended the Muckleshoot Technology Gathering informational to learn about and design the landscape around traditional technology and food.  The following plants were incorporated into the landscape installation.

Plants for nuts and fruit

Gaultheria
Mahonia
Ribes
Sambucus
Vaccinium
Quercus

Plants for weaving

Iris
Polystichum
Acer

Plants for roots

Allium
Camassia
Dryopteris
Lilium
Brodia

Plants for medicine

Smilacina

Planter panels on Waterfront Park

Signage on planter panels represents different plantings from alpine to shoreline. The information shares Indigenous Wisdom of how these plants are used in the indigenous community. Quotes by Valerie Seagrest, Muckleshoot Indian Tribe.  

Green stormwater infrastructure on the waterfront

Stormwater runoff from the Park Promenade is partially routed to planters that have beautiful seasonal planting that accommodates periodic flooding and wet conditions and helps slow stormwater before it enters the municipal system. Stormwater runoff from roadways are partially routed to green stormwater infrastructure that slows and filters polluted stormwater before it enters the municipal system.

Soil Cells

Modular systems called soil cells were installed underneath the sidewalks and the Protected Bike Lane, to provide additional space and improved conditions for trees and plants to grow healthy root systems. This in combination with the use of bioretention planters and filter vaults allows the City to slow the movement of water and address contamination issues throughout the Waterfront.

A worker installing soil cells below the protected bike lane and sidewalks

Bioretention Planters

Bioretention planters and filter vaults are strategically placed along the Waterfront on both sides of Alaskan Way. The design allows the City to treat 91% of stormwater runoff volume from the new roadway surfaces along Alaskan and Elliott ways, which equates to 10.4 million gallons of stormwater annually, preventing polluted water from entering Elliott Bay.

The bioretention planters not only enhance the beauty of our urban landscape but also serve as nature’s own filtration system, cleansing stormwater before it reaches Puget Sound.

Examples of bioretention planters

Materials: reclaimed and sustainably harvested wood

The Waterfront project has three primary timber elements:

Ekki - waterfront railing

The wood used for the waterfront top rails was reclaimed and salvaged from the Elliott Bay Seawall project. The wood species is Ekki wood, and it is a west African hardwood that built the face of the previous seawall, constructed in the mid 1900’s. When the Seawall was rebuilt in 2015, the Ekki wood was salvaged and resurfaced for reuse. Tiny crustaceans called gribbles bored into the wood of the early waterfront munching on the wood fiber and weakening pilings and planks. The holes in the photo on the right are from these wood-loving pests.

On the left is the eikki wood after being pulled off the seawall. On the right are the completed top rails.

Western Red Cedar - ship timber benches

Timber benches on the waterfront project are made from Western Red Cedar that has been reclaimed from forest floors and lakes. Western Red Cedar is a native timber and has significant cultural value to Tribal communities. The benches use very large timbers that speak to the large growth forest of Western red cedar endemic to the Pacific Northwest.

On the left a pile of ship timbers, and on the right is a ship timber bench in use

Machiche - boardwalk and swings

This wood is sustainably harvested Machiche, which is used in ship building and has a history in the maritime industry on the waterfront. It is a dense hardwood that stands up to use in an urban environment while relating to the Waterfront’s history. The swings are oriented to the view to Elliott Bay to reorient those on the swing to the fantastic views of the water from the slip between Colman Dock and Fire House No. 5.

On the left, a light wood along the boardwalk and on the right, the same light wood for the chairs of the swings.

Embedded markings

On the Park Promenade, metal railings from the old seawall were reclaimed as a pattern inspired by the original pier alignments. It is laid out along with a wayfinding design featuring street names and piers. The pattern is inspired by the indigenous basket, after consultation with the Tribes. Pier 58 features embedded markings representing species of local marine animals.

Embedded metal on the promenade showing old street and pier names

Boulders

The Park Promenade and Overlook Walk incorporated boulders are from a local quarry with a range of colors that tie together the neutral material palette of natural things found in the region, such as basket grasses and cedar bark, with the surrounding weathered steel edging. These rocks are glacial erratics, transported by glaciers and dropped in locations different from their source.

Large boulders that have been incorporated into the landscaping.

Lighting

The lighting design for the Plazas at Railroad Way:

Creates an appealing environment for both pedestrians and vehicular traffic.
Uses a luminaire palette that differentiates Railroad Way from the surrounding streets.
Produces transition and activation zones for gatherings and events at the southern plaza and intersections.
Guides people walking to discover an alternate path of connection between the Stadium District, Pioneer Square, and the Waterfront.
Addresses sustainability goals.

Railroad poles and signals from the turn of the century inspired the lighting design for the pedestrian light as well as the taller plaza poles used in the southern plaza.

The lighting on the Park Promenade largely includes low level lighting that does not contribute to light pollution. These include bollard lighting, downlighting in the plantings, and foot level lighting on the boardwalks. These lights provide great visibility while not contributing to over-lighting on the waterfront.

On the left, lighting on Railroad way, on the right, lighting on Park Promenade