News that Seattle's Design Review Board has approved a new building for Amazon.com has drawn the attention of media around the world. The NBBJ design seeks to revitalize the Denny Triangle neighborhood with office space and public amenities.
From the Architects:
The project encompasses approximately 3.3 million square feet on three city blocks, including three 38-story high-rise office towers, two mid-rise office buildings and a multi-purpose meeting center seating 1,800 people. To reflect Amazon’s community-focused culture, the design seeks to build a neighborhood rather than a campus. Therefore, urban design principles play a prominent role in the project, with emphasis given to ground-level activity and diversity in building character.
For example, the design includes a public dog park, two-way cycle track on 7th Avenue with separate entrances for bicycle commuters that are remote from the garage and loading dock, and tower curtain wall systems that extend upward to screen rooftop mechanical equipment. In addition, ground-level retail on each street front will create a vibrant mixed-use neighborhood in an urban area dominated by surface parking lots. As an added benefit for employees, the project also includes regularly spaced operable windows for the full height of the mid-rise and high-rise office buildings.
Street work at the project site is underway and the construction documentation process for the first block of the project is moving forward. NBBJ will continue to work closely with Amazon.com and the City of Seattle to create a community of buildings and public spaces that appropriately elevate the urban environment for Amazon employees, their neighbors and citizens of Seattle.
Project: Amazon's Biosphere Headquarters
Designed by NBBJ
Size: 3.3 million sf
Location: Seattle, WA, USA
Website: www.nbbj.com
