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Design
Perspectives
By Clair Enlow
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September 3, 2008
Design perspectives: Seattle panel still wants more from Civic Center
Let's be clear about this: There is no scorecard for the design of Civic Square, which will replace the old Public Safety Building block between Third and Fourth avenues and Cherry and James streets.
Photos by Ben Minnick, renderings by Foster + Partners
[enlarge]In this view westward into the plaza, concept drawings show a series of water walls and multi-level seating areas in a curvilinear plan. The landscape architect is Atelier Dreiseitl.
There is a kind of assessment taking place though, along with a hypothetical threshold for design quality. The judges are the members of the Seattle Design Commission and the downtown Design Review Board, sitting on a joint panel. They're standing in, at this stage, for the group of city officials and staff members who will ultimately decide whether the complicated purchase and sale agreement for the block will go through.
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