Seattle, WA. (June 26, 2019) – Daniels Real Estate and ZGF Architects announced today that The Mark project has been named a finalist in the 2019 ULI Global Awards for Excellence, which is widely recognized as one of the real estate industry’s most prestigious award programs. This year’s finalists include 14 projects in North America, 4 in Asia, and one in Europe.
Finalist were selected for how their projects have significantly improved the communities in which they are located. “Through their long-lasting impact, they are demonstrating the best leadership globally in the responsible use of land,” said Jacinta McCann, ULI member and jury chairman and design adviser to AECOM.
Winners of the competition will be recognized at the 2019 ULI Fall Meeting, which will be held September 18-21 in Washington, D.C.
“We are honored to be selected as a finalist from projects across the globe,” said Kevin Daniels, President of Daniels Real Estate. “The Mark office tower was a civic focused project from the beginning, with its design rooted in the preservation and reuse of the former First United Methodist Sanctuary. Our goal was not only to bring new life to a historic building but also to a section of downtown that is empty by 6:00 p.m. Adding a hotel, restaurant and event space in the mix of the development was purposeful in creating a 24/7 spillover effect.”
“We also wanted to raise the bar for the city’s skyline and set an example for others to follow. I think ZGF did just that and this global recognition is a testament to their design excellence.”
The design of the iconic Mark, a 750,000 SF, 48-story office and hotel tower, was inspired by the project owners’ vision to preserve the nation’s oldest Byzantine-style church next while complementing the historic Rainier Club. All are situated on the same block.
A number of design schemes were initially evaluated for the ability to integrate form, structure, function and sensitivity to the historic Sanctuary. A faceted scheme with diagonal steel braces was selected and further developed to optimize building height, configuration and floor plate efficiency, while responding to the owner’s vision for an iconic addition to downtown Seattle’s skyline.
With just 15,000 SF available on level one of The Mark, floor area needed to expand on subsequent floors to maximize leasing potential. Through a joint development agreement with The Rainier Club, ‘over-under’ property rights are utilized. As a result, the tower subtly cantilevers over the existing historic structures before tapering back gently through a sequence of triangulated building planes.
Amid a historic building boom in Seattle, The Mark is distinguished by expressed diagonal steel braces that divide the building’s planes. This unique megabrace structural system is designed to shift the load away from the core and to the exterior walls, eliminating view-obstructing elements like internal columns, maximizing natural daylight and allowing more open, configurable floor plans. The megabrace structural technology enveloping The Mark is a first for towers in high-seismic regions.
Designed by engineering firm Arup, the building’s structural system – consisting of a concrete core plus a perimeter steel brace frame – enables The Mark to withstand a 2,475-year quake registering as high as 9.0 on the Richter Scale. The system shifts the load away from the core and to the exterior walls, allowing for a smaller core and creating more rentable floor space. The system’s design was inspired by the architectural form of the building.
At the tower’s base, an elegant and transparent entrance lobby and lower level façade complements The Sanctuary and Rainier Club and provides a unique enclosed court between the buildings. A 189-room boutique hotel will contain 30,000 SF of meeting rooms, restaurant/bar space, a spa, and 20,000 SF of event space.
Depending on the time of year, weather, and the observer’s point of view, The Mark’s faceted exterior reflects both adjacent high-rises and the historic buildings at its base, paying homage to Seattle’s past and present.
In May of 2017, F5 Networks announced its lease of all 528,000 square feet of office space in The Mark. The company is currently relocating to the building bring 2,500 employees from their former campus.
“Daniels Real Estate is a team of committed experts who have spent our careers trying to create places that help communities thrive. Combining preservation, sustainability, and great architectural design to build stronger and more vibrant communities is our aim. This building is clearly a crowning achievement in pursuing that goal,” added Daniels.
Project team:
Developer: Daniels Real Estate
Owners Stockbridge Real Estate and Daniels Real Estate
Design Architect/Architect of Record: ZGF Architects
The Sanctuary/Hotel and Restaurant Designer: Phillippe Stark
Historical Preservation Architect: Ron Wright & Associates
General Contractor: JTM Construction
Structural Engineer: Arup USA
Civil Engineer/Shoring Design: Coughlin Porter Lundeen
Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing Engineers: Syska Hennessy Group, Inc., The Rushing Group, Auburn Mechanical, Cochran, Hermanson Company
