February 13, 2017

Crews use crane to plant a 45-foot hemlock on 440-foot Kinects tower

Image by Studio 216 [enlarge]

Green Effects said the tree will have plenty of room to grow on Kinects’ rooftop, which also will have an indoor swimming pool.

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Anderson Construction used a crane to hoist the tree into place on the rooftop deck.

Finishing touches are being put on Kinects, Security Properties' 41-story apartment tower in the Denny Triangle, and one of them is a little unusual: a 45-foot mountain hemlock.

Kinects is at 1823 Minor Ave., near Stewart Street. It was designed by Bumgardner Architects and is being built by Anderson Construction Co.

Bumgardner said last week that Anderson used a crane to hoist the tree into place on the rooftop deck.

Green Effects of Sumner provided the hemlock, which was growing at an elevation of 5,400 feet in the Oregon Cascades. After a stop at an Oregon nursery, it was transported to Seattle.

Rich Osaka, project manager for Green Effects, said that the tree will have plenty of room to grow in a seven-foot pit filled with about 400 cubic feet of loose, pumice-like soil.

“It has a potential to get twice as big as it is today,” he said. “The roots can go rather deep and sideways.”

Given the boom in landscaped roof decks, said Osaka, “We do a lot of elevated landscaping. We've done 20 to 30 apartment buildings in Seattle. Look at all the cranes!”

The hemlock is now is framed by Kinects' south-facing facade, but remains otherwise open to the elements.

In the wild, a mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana) can grow to over 60 feet, and live for 100 to 300 years or more. The conifer is slow to mature in its native alpine climate, stunted by wind and snow, but can also grow in pots and containers.

Kinects' rooftop will also have an indoor swimming pool, decks oriented toward Mount Baker and Mount Rainier, a game room, “fire cave,” green-roof landscaping, and kitchen and theater areas.

The tower is scheduled to open this summer with 357 apartments, 4,800 square feet of retail and 315 underground parking spaces.

Last fall, Security Properties announced that it would kick in money to customize the penthouses for interested renters.

Total size for the LEED silver-rated project is about 510,000 square feet.

The budget has been estimated at around $150 million, with financing from Pacific Life and State Teachers Retirement System of Ohio.

The project was first announced in 2008, and then delayed by the recession. Kinects topped out in September, reaching 440 feet in height.

On the same block, across the alley, Touchstone is building Tilt49 at 1812 Boren Ave., which will have an 11-story office tower and a 41-story apartment tower. Directly east of Kinects, at 1121 Stewart, Bellevue developer Rajbir Sandhu has announced plans for an 11-story hotel.