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Good urban design requires focusing
on parts and the whole

By BRAD BROBERG
Special to the Journal

Martin Regge knows urban design when he sees it. But he'd rather call it something else.

"The term urban design is probably overused, misused and misunderstood, " says Regge.
UW Bothell
Architects at NBBJ used design and siting techniques to help keep buildings at the UW Bothell campus from overwhelming the setting and the surrounding community.

Regge, a senior associate in the Urban Design and Planning Studio at NBBJ, prefers the phrase "contextually appropriate." While it may not have the same ring, it more accurately defines the mindset NBBJ brings to every project. 

After all, says Regge, urban settings are not the only place where the relationship between a building's environment and its form and function matter. And urban aesthetics are not the only response to questions of style and materials.

"Urban design could be a very well-designed and thought-out ... suburban project," says Regge. "It's not about the characteristics of the outcome, but it's the application of those elements in relationship to the surrounding context."

Perspective is critical. Regge's approach is, "let's back up for a second. Let's look at it from 10,000 feet."

That's exactly what the Urban Design and Planning Studio did when creating a new master plan for the campus of Edmonds Community College. Instead of working in isolation, it invited the city of Lynnwood, where the college is located, to participate.

The city already had designated the neighborhood surrounding the campus the Edmonds Community College activity district, but had not prepared a master plan. As a result, NBBJ expanded its planning beyond the college's 50-acre campus to include the entire 250-acre district. 

"The city loved it because they were able to influence the college's long-term vision with how that neighborhood would change in the next few years," says Regge.

Creating a studio -- or team -- dedicated to urban design and planning is one way NBBJ shows its commitment to the marriage of environment and architecture. However, that philosophy flows through all eight studios at the Seattle headquarters of the world's fifth largest architecture practice. 

"The sensitivities to urban design varies between [firms]," says architect Rick Ziev, a principal at NBBJ. "Some are more interested in making a singular statement about their building than being contextual.

"Our firm believes in ... relating closely to the surroundings and being more a part of the environment than trying to call a lot of distinct attention to each individual building."

Even so, it's not an either or situation, says Ziev. "Frankly, I think you can do both."

Safeco Field is as perfect example, says Ziev, the project's lead architect. "The ballpark, to me, is a building that was driven by context but still makes a strong statement about what it is."

The NBBJ team went to great lengths to ensure harmony between Safeco Field and its environment. For instance, it's no accident that the bays running along the brick facade facing First Avenue are 60 feet wide. They echo the width of the original property lines in the Pioneer Square area, reviving the feel of a row of old storefronts, explains Ziev. 

NBBJ practices worldwide, but since its headquarters are in Pioneer Square, it's only natural that the firm takes a special interest in Seattle. And since context drives so much of NBBJ's work, it also seems natural that the firm would build a 10-by-20-foot modular mockup of the city's downtown.

More than a toy, the mockup helps NBBJ envision how its projects -- such as Seattle's new justice center and the new federal courthouse -- will fit into existing surroundings. It also gives NBBJ a glimpse of the future by plugging in other pending projects such as the new Seahawks stadium.

"You make a lot of assumptions about what's going to be happening around you," says Ziev.

Planning, which involves external issues like site selection, access and utilities, is a separate discipline from architecture, which addresses the configuration, style and materials of the actual structures. Nevertheless, effective urban design demands close collaboration between the two. "They're kind of hand in hand," says Ziev.

At NBBJ, the Urban Design and Planning Studio both pursues its own projects plus supports the firm's other studios, all of which stress architecture but still strive to reflect contextually appropriate design.

"Planning is the upfront bread and butter," says Regge. "Beyond that, it moves into architecture [but] we maintain a planning presence throughout the process."  

The UW's new branch campus in Bothell illustrates NBBJ's global approach to urban design. The firm was hired to handle site selection, planning and architecture.

Located on wooded farmland surrounded by residential neighborhoods, half the 130-acre-site is set aside for wetlands. That didn't leave planners much room to situate enough buildings to ultimately  accommodate 10,000 students.

Plus the buildings couldn't be so large that they would destroy the campus atmosphere or overwhelm the surrounding community. "Scale was a huge issue," says Ziev.

One solution was to back the buildings against hillsides, which makes the four-story structures appear only three stories high, says Ziev. Another was to employ an architectural style Ziev calls "academic lodge," mimicking structures traditionally found in forest settings.

Having the same firm handle both planning and architecture is a huge advantage, says Ziev. In cases where each occurs separately, master plans often must be rewritten to accommodate building designs.

That even happened at the UW Bothell campus, where a roadway had to be reconfigured.

"The sign of a good plan is it can be changed," says Ziev, smiling.     



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