January 26, 2024

Seattle projects amongst world's most beautiful

Photo by Dave Burk [enlarge]

The International Arrivals Facility at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport was honored in the airports category.

The International Arrivals Facility at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and Founders Hall at University of Washington, Seattle, have been named amongst the “world's most beautiful” architecture projects by Prix Versailles.

The projects were included in a list of 93 new buildings and developments from around the globe honored with a 2023 Prix Versailles Award. Established in 2015, this awards program aims to distinguish the world's best contemporary architectural projects across eight categories that cover education, sports, and tourism.

The IAF was honored in the airports category. Founders Hall was named one of the best campus projects worldwide.

The IAF opened in spring 2022. Designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and The Miller Hull Partnership, the $986 million facility replaced a 50-year-old customs hall and has increased the airport's number of international capable gates from 12 to 20.

A new 450,000-square-foot grand hall outfitted with seven baggage carousels now greets arriving passengers.

The design team's major goals were to create a facility that guided people through the airport efficiently and with little confusion while creating a space that felt welcoming and immediately grounded arrivals in the culture and environment of the Pacific Northwest.

Photo by Tim Griffith [enlarge]

Founders Hall at University of Washington, Seattle was one of three campus projects to win.

On a clear day, the IAF's new 85-foot-high elevated walkway offers 360-degree views of Mount Rainier, and the Olympic and Cascade Mountain ranges. Further connections to the PNW are made as passengers reach the end of the walkway and enter what Miller Hull calls a Douglas Fir Portal — an area with wood block flooring, fir siding and ceiling, soft lighting, and acoustic veneer panels.

Part of the larger Foster School of Business complex, Founders Hall opened in June 2022. The project was the first fully mass timber building to be built on campus and embraces the University of Washington Green Building Standards, reducing carbon emissions by over 90%.

Founders Hall was designed by LMN Architects. The design showcases the building's mass timber frame via a central staircase that spans all five floors of the property. To reinforce the Northwest character of the UW campus, the design team also ensured that an adjacent grove of native Douglas fir and sequoia trees were preserved and integrated into the physical experience of the building.

The hall's facade pairs brick and thoughtfully placed glazing that reveals the timber inside the building while providing views of the historical Douglas firs from inside.

The 2023 Prix Versailles Award winners were announced in October at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.