October 31, 2002

Plaza helps unify civic campus

Courtesy of Gustafson Partners

A plaza with flags, trees, steps and a water feature will mark the Justice Center entrance, which is still under construction.

The courts section of the building is set back 36 feet from Fifth Avenue to provide space for the plaza, which will be part of a 2 1/2-block open space that will connect to the new City Hall and Public Safety Building block. The space will be created when the Municipal and Public Safety buildings are torn down.

The landscape design, by Gustafson Partners with Swift & Co., makes reference to the city’s connection with Puget Sound through the use of various water features.

The watercourse begins at the Justice Center source pool, located at top of the site. With its bubbling water and glowing depth, the pool is reminiscent of the hot springs high in the Cascade Mountains.

Courtesy of Steve Keating/NBBJ

These are the conceptual “headwaters” of the Civic Center campus — they mark the beginning of the journey from the mountains to the sound. Just as water in the upper reaches of the Cascades cuts through rock and creates channels with turbulent flow, the water channel cuts through the rock of the city.

The water channel extends through the new City Hall building and down the grand stairs. As the water descends with the stairway, the channel narrows and the flow increases in energy and sound, activating the space around it.

Too steep for a traditional civic mall, the open space at the City Hall building’s base becomes a terraced landform of stone and vegetative elements, offering spaces for both large and small gatherings.

Options for movement serve as a symbolic and functional reflection of democratic life. The plaza’s intended use, which was developed through public workshops and focus groups, runs the gamut from large celebrations and organized demonstrations to the intimacy of outdoor readings and board games.

The civic plaza, which is slated for completion in 2004, will be extended westward for another block after the Public Safety Building is torn down.

The landscaping projects will cost $14 million.

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