Mayor Greg Nickels will join the Seattle Design Commission and project teams Thursday evening, December 3rd, to recognize five recent public projects that exhibit superior design. The projects include a public park, a master plan, infrastructure improvements, and a new zoo exhibit. The Seattle Design Commission reviews public projects and projects with public funds, providing design guidance in support of development that fosters interaction with the public and enhances Seattle’s neighborhoods.
The projects:
Thornton Creek
Thornton Creek is a tremendous and relevant experiment in the urban realm, a celebration of water in green infrastructure. It is ostensibly an alternative biofiltration project that celebrates the daylighting and cleansing of a portion of Thornton Creek. It is at the same time a dynamic and beautiful urban public space that has helped anchor and catalyze adjacent development, capturing the interest of the community and changing the attitude towards green infrastructure.
Fremont Peak Park
Fremont Peak Park is more than an urban oasis with a panoramic view. It exemplifies what is possible when community initiative meets good design. It shows us that small, intimate spaces can have a tremendous neighborhood impact, and reminds us that the dedicated work of tenacious individuals can pay dividends. The park seamlessly integrates art and landscape while its design successfully tells a story, provides space for both quiet reflection and community gatherings, and captures the spirit of Fremont.
The Seattle Center Century 21 Master Plan
The Seattle Center Century 21 Master Plan provides a bold and fully integrated concept to open the campus from its center to its perimeters, architecturally unifying old and new spaces, and uniting the physical and programmatic elements that make Seattle Center one of the nation’s best gathering places. Besides calling for a strengthening of connections, a bold vision for the Center House, and new direction for Memorial Stadium, the plan opens up ten acres of new open space, the vital connective tissue of the Seattle Center.
Woodland Zoo Penguin Exhibit
The Woodland Park Zoo Penguin Exhibit is a fantastic example of integrative design. Adherence to a comprehensive, well-defined scope and a vigorous process has lead to a design that goes well beyond showcasing the penguins, their environment and survival. The project achieves a new benchmark of impressive sustainability and multicultural educational objectives and includes the capacity for on- going monitoring and adjustment. The exhibit’s low-key attitude and careful attention to design fit strengthens a significant entrance to the zoo and reinforces the overall legibility of its environment.
The Sound Transit Central Link
The Sound Transit Central Link project superbly balances complex technical objectives with community planning and urban design objectives. Its strength built upon a long term vision and skillful leadership who maintained commitment to the vision throughout implementation. The result is overall system legibility through a robust system of elements and art works that provide variety, localized differences and a sense of place along the route and at the stations. The project has positively and profoundly affected the perception of rail transit in the Seattle area, generating excitement, and support for system expansion.
Ceremony Details:
Thursday, December 3rd
Open House: 4:00 – 6:00 pm
Presentation of Awards: 4:30
Bertha K. Landes Room
City Hall
600 4th Avenue (enter on 5th avenue side)