Photo by John Walser The head house for Sound Transit’s Beacon Hill Station was built with brick and glass blocks.

The brick masonry surfaces of the Mount Baker Station provide a durable and easily maintained material that withstands the heavy pedestrian traffic that uses Seattle’s light-rail transit system. This material also provides a visual connection to Franklin High School, a historic landmark near the station.

The backlit glass-block panels beneath the stairs illuminate the ticketing concourse at street level.

The brick and glass-block masonry of the Beacon Hill Station head houses are fundamental materials that provide longevity, durability and ease of maintenance for a building that experiences heavy pedestrian traffic around the clock.

They also give designers a means to inform the public about the building’s context as well as its functions.