Team shares key details and renderings of their Archetype project in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood
Seattle, WA (June 30, 2021)- Burrard Properties has released new design details for their forthcoming 11-story mixed-use development, Archetype. The company, which recently completed the award-winning NEXUS tower in Seattle, has assembled a design team led by Swiss firm Herzog & de Meuron in partnership with local architecture firm HEWITT to realize its vision for a better urban experience at this pivotal Seattle location. The project is entering the final stages of design review by the City of Seattle with an expected construction start in mid to late 2022 and completion in 2024.
“This project occupies an important place in the city both in terms of geographic location and cultural significance, and we believe what is built here should be responsive to that. Accordingly, we have invested a great deal of time, attention and resources to ensure that Archetype fulfills that responsibility,” said Christian Chan, CEO of Burrard Properties.
Situated at 2407 1st Avenue, a pivotal juncture where the north terminus of the new Seattle waterfront meets the heart of historic Belltown, the Archetype project is underpinned by thoughtful architecture and urban design on various scales.
“We are excited to work on our first project in Seattle in the historically significant neighborhood of Belltown. The project operates at the scale of the street, the block and the neighborhood; the building responds to its context with two distinct facades,” said Simon Demeuse, Partner at Herzog & de Meuron.
“On 1st Avenue a classically arranged copper and glass volume hovers above two curved vitrines which provide a continuous active street front and mark the entry point of a semi-public laneway leading to the rear alley,” added Demeuse. “Here the building opens towards Elliot Bay resulting in a stepped crescent shape which brings light and air to the public terrace, laneway and alley below. From afar the silhouette can be seen either as a singular volume or as a series of slender stepped elements.”
Archetype at once honors the rich architectural and cultural heritage of the project site while envisioning how contemporary life and design coincide with historic context. The building’s facade alludes to classical architectural forms while maximizing natural light and air through modern, expansive window systems. Exterior material selection follows
in the lineage of the Belltown neighborhood’s warehouse and semi-industrial roots through an extensive application of rich metal and mineral cladding.
Fostering a candid relationship with the street and neighborhood was an important project priority for the team. Vibrant street level retail and F&B uses are fronted by a low barrier, high transparency facade, which eases the threshold between the public and private.
“Herzog & de Meuron’s expertise in creating iconic buildings around the world, coupled with our intimate knowledge and lived experience in Seattle, creates a team strategically positioned to champion good design in the heart of our city,” said Julia Nagele, Principal and Director of Design at HEWITT. “Archetype simultaneously draws from its historic neighbors and context while delivering unique and unexpected urban experiences that are so part of the Belltown character.”
ABOUT BURRARD PROPERTIES
Burrard Properties is an urban development and real estate practice with a mission to create engaging places that meaningfully improve quality of life. The company pursues its vision of a better urban experience for all through the creation and management of a range of for-profit and non-profit projects, partnerships and businesses, with a keen focus on the urban lifestyle and built environment.
Founded in 1979, Burrard has built an impressive track record of landmark communities and projects around the Pacific Rim, including their most recent multifamily residential development NEXUS located in downtown Seattle.
ABOUT HERZOG & DE MEURON
Established in Basel in 1978, Herzog & de Meuron is a partnership led by Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron together with five Senior Partners. With an international team of nearly 500 collaborators, the practice has designed a wide range of projects across Europe, the Americas and Asia. Many projects are highly recognized public facilities, such as museums, stadiums, and hospitals, as well as distinguished private projects, including offices, laboratories and apartment buildings.
Herzog & de Meuron has also established itself along the West Coast with projects such as the Dominus Winery in Napa Valley and the de Young Museum in San Francisco.
The firm has received acclaim for projects that are accessible to the general public while also housing private programs, and has demonstrated a particular aptitude for respecting legacy buildings and their historic context while transforming them into something new.
ABOUT HEWITT
Founded in 1975, Seattle-based HEWITT is a design firm dedicated to improving the fabric of cities and the way people live. The studio is a collective of creators and thinkers who are driven by their curiosity and rigor, and inspired by historical, cultural and natural context. HEWITT has designed a wide range of work from skyscrapers to retail and mixed-use projects, including The Emerald Tower, Capitol Hill Transit-Oriented Development, Mama Tower and Hinoki, an affordable housing project.
