The renovation of this 29-story office tower consisted of a lobby redesign, as well as exterior façade updates. Originally constructed in 1983, the building had experienced several additions to the façade throughout the 1990s. With this latest renovation, the goal was to reestablish 520 Pike as a modern building.

Located in the heart of Seattle’s downtown business district, the building houses over 1,000 workplace tenants. Thousands of people move through the highly-trafficked lobby daily, as the building contains an above-ground public parking garage. The renovation reestablishes 520 Pike’s street presence with a strong unifying dark tone for the tower, and a white painted steel canopy to emphasize the street entrance.

Inside, the newly redesigned lobby and inhabited art space reflects Seattle’s environmental and material presence, providing a calm passageway between the urban environment outside and the offices above. A feature wall clad in poplar strips interspersed with vertical lighting recalls Pacific Northwest forests, with salvaged local timber beams used for the reception desk and benches. Large granite “boulder” seating punctuates the lobby, creating a natural respite within this urban high-rise building.