Sometime in mid to late 2022, construction is scheduled to start on Archetype, an 11-story mixed-use development that, upon completion in 2024, will be wedged between the historic Hull and Glaser buildings on 1st Avenue in Seattle’s Belltown, that city’s most densely populated neighborhood, which has transformed from what was once a low-rent warehouse district to a walkable community with galleries, restaurants, shops, residential towers and lofts, schools and colleges that include the Art Institute of Seattle.
Seattle-based HEWITT is the Executive Architect on the Archetype project for the developer Burrard Properties, which also brought on board Basel, Switzerland-based Herzog & de Meuron as Design Consultant. The latter firm’s expertise includes respecting legacy buildings and their historical context while transforming spaces into something new. This is Herzog & De Meuron’s first project in Seattle.
“Herzog & de Meuron’s expertise in creating iconic buildings, 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,” says Julia Nagele, Principal and Director of Design at HEWITT.
Today, the developer released design details about Archetype, as well as renderings.
AN ACTIVE STREETFRONT, AND BAY VIEWS
The building, on a 13,230-sf square lot, is located at a pivotal juncture where the northern entrance to the new Seattle waterfront intersects with Belltown.
An active streetfront is the entry point to a semi-private laneway that connects Archetype to its alley and 1st Avenue.
Two curved showcases, or vitrines, will provide a continuous active street front and mark the entry point of a semi-private laneway heading to the building’s rear alley. (Alleys have cultural and historic significance in Seattle, and this project presents an opportunity to connect the alley with 1st Avenue.) This is where Archetype opens toward Elliott Bay via its crescent shape that creates a courtyard surrounded by residential units with views of the bay and beyond.
Fostering a relationship with the street and neighborhood was an important project priority for the design team. Street level retail, food and beverage outlets are fronted by a low barrier, high transparency façade that alludes to classical architectural forms and maximizes natural light and air through an expansive window system. Metal and mineral cladding are meant to recall Belltown’s warehouse and semi-industrial roots.
The designers proposed 7,500 sf of commercial space as part of Archetype.
The developer did not release information about this project’s cost. BD&C confirmed that there will be “up to” 180 apartments in the building, and that Swinerton is serving in a construction management capacity. An “early design guidance” document that the designers submitted to Seattle’s Downtown Design Review Board last September proposed that Archetype would be 95 ft tall, have between one and three stories of below-grade parking with 30-50 parking stalls and 165 bicycle parking spaces, a rooftop amenity of between 5,000 and 10,000 sf, and about 7,500 sf of street-level commercial.
Related Stories
Adaptive Reuse | Aug 17, 2023
How to design for adaptive reuse: Don’t reinvent the wheel
Gresham Smith demonstrates the opportunities of adaptive reuse, specifically reusing empty big-box retail and malls, many of which sit unused or underutilized across the country.
Sustainability | Aug 15, 2023
Carbon management platform offers free carbon emissions assessment for NYC buildings
nZero, developer of a real-time carbon accounting and management platform, is offering free carbon emissions assessments for buildings in New York City. The offer is intended to help building owners prepare for the city’s upcoming Local Law 97 reporting requirements and compliance. This law will soon assess monetary fines for buildings with emissions that are in non-compliance.
Office Buildings | Aug 10, 2023
Bjarke Ingels Group and Skanska to deliver 1550 on the Green, one of the most sustainable buildings in Texas
In downtown Houston, Skanska USA’s 1550 on the Green, a 28-story, 375,000-sf office tower, aims to be one of Texas’ most sustainable buildings. The $225 million project has deployed various sustainable building materials, such as less carbon-intensive cement, to target 60% reduced embodied carbon.
Multifamily Housing | Jul 31, 2023
6 multifamily housing projects win 2023 LEED Homes Awards
The 2023 LEED Homes Awards winners in the multifamily space represent green, LEED-certified buildings designed to provide clean indoor air and reduced energy consumption.
High-rise Construction | Jul 26, 2023
A 33-story Singapore tower aims to reimagine work with restorative, outdoor spaces
Architecture firm NBBJ has unveiled design details for Keppel South Central, a commercial tower in Singapore. The project, which is slated for completion in late 2024, will transform the original Keppel Towers into a 33-story, energy-efficient building that aims to reimagine work by providing restorative spaces and connections to the outdoors.
Designers | Jul 20, 2023
Mary Cook Associates brews up coffeehouse-inspired apartment community
The MCA design team worked closely with the developer and design architect to create an interior concept inspired by Decatur, Ga.’s, tree-lined streets, boutique retail, and vibrant restaurant and coffee shop scene.
Mass Timber | Jul 11, 2023
5 solutions to acoustic issues in mass timber buildings
For all its advantages, mass timber also has a less-heralded quality: its acoustic challenges. Exposed wood ceilings and floors have led to issues with excessive noise. Mass timber experts offer practical solutions to the top five acoustic issues in mass timber buildings.
Mixed-Use | Jun 29, 2023
Massive work-live-play development opens in LA's new Cumulus District
VOX at Cumulus, a 14-acre work-live-play development in Los Angeles, offers 910 housing units and 100,000 sf of retail space anchored by a Whole Foods outlet. VOX, one of the largest mixed-use communities to open in the Los Angeles area, features apartments and townhomes with more than one dozen floorplans.
Standards | Jun 26, 2023
New Wi-Fi standard boosts indoor navigation, tracking accuracy in buildings
The recently released Wi-Fi standard, IEEE 802.11az enables more refined and accurate indoor location capabilities. As technology manufacturers incorporate the new standard in various devices, it will enable buildings, including malls, arenas, and stadiums, to provide new wayfinding and tracking features.
Mixed-Use | Jun 12, 2023
Goettsch Partners completes its largest China project to date: a mixed-used, five-tower complex
Chicago-based global architecture firm Goettsch Partners (GP) recently announced the completion of its largest project in China to date: the China Resources Qianhai Center, a mixed-use complex in the Qianhai district of Shenzhen. Developed by CR Land, the project includes five towers totaling almost 472,000 square meters (4.6 million sf).