November 7, 2018

Design students focus on waterfront site

Mackenzie, Heartland LLC and Brightworks Sustainability are working with students from the NewSchool of Architecture & Design in San Diego to create a vision for a waterfront block in downtown Seattle.

The block at 1101 Western Ave. is bounded by Western Avenue, Alaskan Way and Spring and Seneca streets.

The studio course is a hypothetical effort and not connected with any project, said Rich Mitchell, president of Mackenzie and an adjunct faculty member at NewSchool.

The course began in October in Seattle. The students will return here next spring to show their work.

They will develop a concept and do models and renderings, said Mitchell, who is a member of the studio teaching team. He said the block is a good site to study because of the massive changes happening in that area. The seawall has been rebuilt, and next to come is the Alaskan Way Viaduct demolition and a new Colman Dock and ferry terminal.

The studio looks at ways to integrate urban planning, design and technical systems to address social and ecological challenges and influence the community. Students will explore how architecture, interior design, land use planning and engineering can work together.

The studio team also includes KPFF Consulting Engineers, Green Building Initiative, University of California-San Diego Structural Engineering Department, and San Diego State University Civil Engineering Department.

GGLO has developed a plan for a 17-story residential tower on the Western Avenue site, which is owned by Gonzaga University.