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Seattle Convention Center_1

Washington State
Convention Center Addition

© Tim Griffith

Project Overview

Washington State Convention Center Addition, Seattle, Washington

The Washington State Convention Center Addition presents a transformative opportunity to lead the evolving trends in the convention center industry while furthering the development of Seattle’s vibrant urban core.  

The facility incorporates 1,250,000 sf of convention space and 250,000 sf of parking and retail in an innovative program including stacked exhibit halls – located both above and below grade – two stacked meeting room levels and an industry leading 60,000 sf ballroom. Loading is accomplished below grade, adjacent to the exhibit hall, preserving the pedestrian focus of the site.

Syska Hennessy’s vertical transportation group worked closely with the developer, architect and operator to understand the unique needs of this significant civic addition. Understanding the requirements allowed us to recommend vertical transportation systems that ensure the efficient handling of event move-ins and move outs utilizing a combination of service elevators and heavy duty freight elevators sized to accommodate large vehicles and loads up to 20,000 lbs. Rather than a low horizontal structure, the Washington State Convention Center rises over 130 feet above the main entrance with event and meeting space located on the upper levels of the facility. Nineteen elevators (passenger, service and freight) and 42 heavy duty escalators provide the means to handle the high volume of exhibitors and event attendees.

The project also included two adjacent blocks of mixed-use co-development towers to the north, planned as a 542,000 sf office tower and a 404-unit residential tower. Both rise over street-level podiums with retail opportunities and sit above the convention center’s below-grade loading docks. The project’s contributions to the public realm are as massive as its scale, navigating a diverse mix of public-private intersections while catering to the next generation of convention delegates with expectations of a rich, unique, urban experience. Syska Hennessy provided the design for the Class A office tower and luxury residential tower.

Size
1,500,000 sf

Completion Date
2022

Architect
LMN Architects

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Fire Protection

Sustainability

Sustainability

Vertical Transportation

Vertical Transportation

Architectural Lighting

Architectural Lighting

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Fire & Life Safety

Commissioning

Commissioning

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Washington State Convention Center Addition

Washington State Convention Center Addition