By Meghan Hall
The preferred massing option presented by AMLI Residential and GGLO was based off of a concept in which the tower featured a longer, more elegant proportion and the rooftop massing was integral to the building strategy. The tower volume bisects the building base along the Alaskan Way façade, while deck recesses and material changes will help to distinguish the building’s various volumes. The tower volume will be modulated to reduce any appearances of size and bulk. Glazing on the commercial facades at the corner of Western Ave. and Seneca, as well as glazing along Alaskan Way to mark the lobby and leasing office is meant to encourage pedestrian interaction with the building, as well as maintain the commercial character of the neighborhood along the waterfront and highlight opportunity for a through block connection.
This was the second Early Design Guidance meeting for the project, with the initial review taking place in March of this year. Overall, the Board commended the development team for the improvements made to the overall design. The Board did have several minor suggestions for the project team moving forward, stating in review documents that entryways to the building on the East and West facades should be more visible and should be strengthened through the design. The Board also emphasized that the west façade will be highly visible and careful attention should be paid to composition and materiality. As a result, the Board suggested the west façade should explore a similar design to the Alaskan Way façade, stating that the latter’s scheming was most successful.
AMLI Residential, founded in 1980, targets the acquisition and development of luxury apartment communities throughout the United States. The firm also owns AMLI Arc, a 393-unit high-rise in Seattle, as well as AMLI Spring District, a 204-unit apartment complex also designed by GGLO. The development, according to GGLO’s website, is to be the third and final residential development in the Spring District.An undeveloped parcel right on Seattle’s Waterfront and minutes from downtown is going to get a new lease on life. According to city documents, a new development proposed by AMLI Residential and designed by GGLO was approved by the downtown design review board to move forward with the Master Use Permit application process at an Early Design Guidance Meeting in July. The site, formally located at 1101 Western Ave., will become home to a 17-story, 260-unit apartment building designed blend with the historic waterfront warehouse buildings found throughout the district and the increasingly contemporary projects found to the East.
Project documents also indicate that 7,658 square feet of commercial and retail space, as well as 7,065 square feet of amenity space, are included in the plans. 159 vehicle parking spaces, both below and at-grade will be part of the development upon completion.
As the demolition and removal of the Alaskan Way Viaduct continues, Seattle’s waterfront neighborhoods are transitioning into an even more walkable, urban environment. Across Seneca St. from the project site, there are two seven-story structures built in 1910 and 1918, respectively, while the more modern Harbor Steps, constructed in 1994, is located across Western Ave. Just to the south of property is another historic property that rose in 1904, while along First Ave., there are multiple landmarked masonry structures, according to city documents.
