March 23, 2009

The Bravern residential towers have topped out

Photo by Francis Zera Photography [enlarge]

The Bravern Signature Residences reached a milestone last week with the topping out of both of its residential towers in downtown Bellevue, developer Schnitzer West said in a news release.

Contractor PCL Construction made the final concrete pour on the 33rd floor of both towers, completing the vertical structure for the development.

The towers are part of the 5-acre, $1.6 billion The Bravern mixed-use project. Residents are slated to move in early next year.

“Bellevue's skyline has changed dramatically now that the residential towers are in place,” said Dan Ivanoff, founder and managing partner of Seattle-based Schnitzer West, in the release. “It's exciting to watch the progress this city is making and to be part of that development.”

The towers have 455 units. Amenities include a fitness center, day spa, theater, event rooms with catering and exhibition kitchens, two fireside lounges, four guest suites and concierge services. The towers are joined by a terrace with a fireplace, outdoor grilling stations, paths and dog walks.

The Bravern will also include two office towers, which have been leased to Microsoft. Schnitzer West said Microsoft began moving into the first tower in February and will occupy the second by early summer.

The complex will also have more than 300,000 square feet of retail, restaurants and services anchored by a Neiman Marcus department store. The retail is scheduled to open in early September.

NBBJ designed the residential towers and Callison designed the rest.

The project is expected to bring more than 3,000 jobs to downtown Bellevue, and nearly 700 residents, Schnitzer West said.

Ivanoff said he believes the commercial credit crunch and subsequent slowdown of new construction is closing the chapter on this development cycle. “I think what's currently under construction is all we'll see for a while.”