Exemplifying the Future of High-Rise Building Design with Destination Amenities
October 18, 2016, – Seattle WA. – The Seattle skyline is growing. At 660 ft. above Fifth Avenue, The Mark will top off this month with its finished metal structure towering above the downtown landscape.
Located at 801 – 5th Avenue, the 48-story tower includes 528,000 sf. of Class-A office space and a 189-room Phillipe Starck-designed, luxury SLS hotel. The Mark, which is being developed by Daniels Real Estate and Stockbridge Capital Group, will be a sophisticated silhouette against the city skyline. It will combine leading edge technology, sustainability, and elite on-site amenities designed to reflect the developer’s commitment to preservation, green building and innovation.
The Mark’s distinctive exterior design includes 7,480 tons, or 14,960,000 pounds of steel, which not only provides seismic bracing to enhance the structural safety of the building but also gives the tower its unique geometric façade.
The zig-zag mega-bracing that creates the striking design resists both gravitational and seismic forces, eliminating the need for the typical X bracing used in buildings. This integration of the structural components within the building envelope allows for interior spaces that are column free, creating an open floor plan with greater flexibility for interior design. Coupled with 9’6” floor-to-floor windows. The Mark is the only tower in Seattle – office or residential – to provide as much light-soaked space with unobstructed, panoramic views.
When completed it will have 184,558 sf. of glass (four-and-a-half acres) across 16-facets, four per side. The steepest facet is on the west elevation, leaning away from the building at 6.69 degrees over the Rainier Club. The building’s podium will also have another 10,551 sf. of glass. The curtain wall system which started to be installed this summer is scheduled to be completed in early 2017. Crews are installing 40-plus glass panels a day.
The column-free floor plates also are part of a smart design to keep pace with tenants that require more flexibility to stay ahead of their firm’s growth. Heating and cooling equipment is located on the roof to provide maximum use of the 13’6” floor heights which is far greater than the typical 12’ floor heights in office buildings. Upper-floor bathrooms and stairs are located inside the core – out of the rentable space to provide even greater interior design flexibility and lower than customary floor loads.
“Topping off The Mark is a milestone for this great project,’’ said Stephen Pilch, Managing Director for Stockbridge Capital LLC. “We are confident that Seattle will be proud of The Mark. With the local economy continuing to expand, The Mark will bring much-needed space and exciting new amenities to the downtown core.’’
As a Daniels Real Estate and Stockbridge Capital Group project, The Mark is environmentally minded from top to bottom including the reuse of the former First United Methodist Church sanctuary.
“The greenest element of The Mark is the preservation and reuse of the former First United Methodist Church’s sanctuary building,” said Kevin Daniels, President of Daniels Real Estate and board member for the National Trust of Historic Preservation. “It’s the oldest remaining sanctuary in downtown Seattle and many former parishioners from early pioneers like Arthur Denny have left their mark on Seattle. It was the impetuous for the name, The Mark.
The sanctuary will become an extension of the SLS Seattle hotel for private events, special occasions, and executive meetings. Built between 1906 and 1910, its Beaux Arts architecture and stunning dome will immediately set it apart from the trendy and mundane.
The Mark also will debut the region’s largest, living green wall. Planted with twenty different varieties of northwest vegetation the green wall will total 1,790 sf. along Columbia Street and wrap around the west tower podium above the Rainier Club.
To create the next generation office tower, Daniels Real Estate, Stockbridge and ZGF Architects used virtual reality for both design editing and decision making.
“Many companies have buildings that are modern, architectural sculptures on the outside but cubicle wastelands on the inside,” said Daniels. “Yet, we spend more than 90-percent of our time indoors, which means that employees need an environment that inspires and motivates with elite on-site amenities. Virtual reality provided a clearer means to view and interpret design choices in addition to the traditional provision of plan drawings and models. It helped us to create a building where form and function converge in inspired ways throughout the building.”
The twentieth floor is reserved for tenants and designed to meet many needs from an expansive lounge area to accommodate business receptions, two conference rooms, and smaller, tech-enabled seating vignettes. It includes a tenant concierge and second fitness center for building tenants only. Building management will also be conveniently located on the same floor.
“While traditional office towers include amenities, The Mark offers destinations, added Daniels.” Legendary designer Philippe Starck will make his Seattle debut at SLS, conjuring a vision of modern luxury. Materials throughout the common areas of The Mark and hotel are of the highest quality from Travertine walls to Carrara Marble floors from Italy.
The hotel will showcase 189 guest rooms and suites, state-of-the-art spa and fitness facilities, along with 13,000 square feet of food and beverage offerings. Boasting a sophisticated restaurant and cocktail lounge situated 16 floors above the city center, SLS Seattle will introduce the city to new and innovative culinary concepts.
“From light-soaked workspaces with flexible configurations to destination on-site tenant amenities to SLS Seattle, we’ve curated an environment that enhances professional quality of life as well as productivity,” concluded Daniels. “When completed in 2017, the tower will make its own mark as the leader of the next generation of Class-A office space.”
About Daniels Real Estate
Daniels Real Estate LLC is a Seattle-based company formed to develop complex and challenging dense urban real estate projects that help to revitalize the neighborhood they are located in. Combining community participation, advance sustainable practices, complex urban planning, great architectural design and historic preservation, Daniels Real Estate has earned a reputation as a leader in the Greater Seattle development community. www.danielsre.com; www.themarkseattle.com
About Stockbridge Capital Group
Stockbridge is a nationally recognized real estate investment management firm led by veteran industry professionals. The firm’s portfolio comprises assets across the investment risk spectrum, including core, value-added and opportunistic strategies. Stockbridge has approximately $7.8 billion of assets under management as of March 31, 2014 spanning all major real estate property types, and certain specialty property types, throughout the United States. www.sbfund.com
About sbe
sbe is a leading lifestyle hospitality company that develops, manages and operates award-winning hotels, restaurants and nightclubs. Through exclusive partnerships with cultural visionaries, sbe is dedicated to delivering the best in service, design, culinary programming, and entertainment. Already a proven leader in the hospitality and real estate industries, sbe has more than 100 properties currently operating or in development, and is expanding several of its flagship brands including SLS, Hyde and The Redbury, both nationally and internationally. The company will debut a new slate of hotel and residence properties in 2016, including the recently announced Hyde Hotel & Residences and SLS LUX Hotel & Residences. SLS Hotel & Residences will represent over 3,900 hotel rooms and 1,600 residences worldwide by 2019. In addition to its distinctive hotels, sbe’s world-renowned restaurants and lounges include Katsuya, The Bazaar by José Andrés and Hyde Lounge. Founded in 2002 by Executive Chairman and CEO Sam Nazarian, sbe is a privately held company. More information about sbe can be obtained at sbe.com or by downloading the sbe App.
Full Development Team
ZGF Architects – The Mark
NBBJ Architects – The Rainier Club Expansion
Philippe Starck, Hotel Designer
Ron Wright, Historic Architect
Dakota Design – Hotel Consulting
Arup – Structural
CPL- Civil & Structural
JTM Construction – General Contractor
DBM Contractors Inc. – Shoring
J.R. Hayes & Sons – Excavation
Bush, Roed & Hitchings, Inc. – Survey
Deeny Construction – Utilities
Conco – Division 3 Concrete
Canron Western Constructors Inc. – Structural Steel Supply
The Erection Company – Structural Steel Erection
Harmon Inc. – Curtainwall
Kone – Elevators
Auburn Mechanical – Plumbing
Hermanson – HVAC
Cochran Electric – Electrical
