May 28, 2014

GGN's Pike-Pine plan wins award

Image courtesy of Gustafson Guthrie Nichol [enlarge]

Pike-Pine Renaissance, a plan by Seattle-based Gustafson Guthrie Nichol, is one of six projects that won a 2014 Great Places Award from the Environmental Design Research Association.

The awards recognize environmental design in architecture, planning, landscape architecture and urban design.

GGN is design lead for the Pike-Pine plan, which was commissioned by the Downtown Seattle Association. The plan proposes design standards for making the area from First Avenue to Interstate 5, between Union and Virginia streets, more inviting to pedestrians and bicyclists.

The Pike-Pine corridor in particulardraws heavy foot traffic from Pike Place Market to the convention center, and is filled with bars, restaurants, hotels, office buildings, retail and transit.

GGN has said it could cost between $27 million and $54 million to make the initial improvements. They would start with upgrades to Pike and Pine, between First and Sixth avenues.

The overall plan lays out light, middle and deep improvements — ranging from holiday lighting to street furniture and upgrades to better accommodate pedestrians and cyclists.

The recommendations include increasing the number of high-canopy trees along the avenues, and having lower plantings along east-west streets.

Other consultants who worked on the Pike-Pine plan include BDS Planning & Urban Design, Downtown Works, ECONorthwest, Framework and Toole Design Group. See the plan at www.pike-pine.org.

For all the Great Places winners, go to www.edra.org/greatplaces.

EDRA was founded in 1968 by design professionals, social scientists, students, educators and facility managers to advance environmental design research.