March 20, 2026

Gold Winner — Multi-family

Photo courtesy of Exxel Pacific  [enlarge]

The masonry base anchors the 29-story mixed-use building along Bell Street Park, and includes detailed brick openings.

The Confidential, Seattle

Mason contractor: J&S Masonry

Architect: Perkins Eastman

General contractor: Exxel Pacific

Masonry supplier: Mutual Materials

The Confidential, a 29-story mixed-use residential tower in Seattle’s Belltown neighborhood, reinforces the area’s rich architectural legacy of masonry while contributing a contemporary high-rise form to the evolving urban fabric.

The building is anchored by a multi-story brick-clad podium that responds to the scale, texture, and material language of surrounding historic structures. At street level, masonry establishes a durable, pedestrian-focused base along Bell Street Park, supporting retail, restaurants, and outdoor café seating. Carefully detailed brick openings and private residential balconies create depth, shadow, and visual interest while conveying permanence and human scale.

Above the podium, the tower steps back into a lighter, contemporary expression, allowing the masonry base to clearly ground the building within its context. This material transition supports the project’s mixed-use character, balancing residential, commercial, and public functions within a cohesive architectural framework.

Site constraints posed logistical challenges, restricting material hoisting over adjacent streets while keeping traffic and bike lanes open. A custom on-site loading solution enabled masonry materials to be efficiently staged and installed without disrupting urban circulation.

Masonry plays a critical role in The Confidential’s success, providing durability, scale, and visual continuity in a high-traffic environment. Through thoughtful placement, refined detailing, and careful execution under constrained urban conditions, the project demonstrates how masonry can anchor modern mixed-use development and elevate the quality of the public realm.

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