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Art Stable
Photo: Benjamin Benschneider

Art Stable

Seattle, Washington

Art Stable

Seattle, Washington

  • Design Principal

    Tom Kundig

  • Principal

    Kirsten Ring Murray

Art Stable is an urban infill project in Seattle’s rapidly developing South Lake Union neighborhood. Built on the site of a former horse stable, the seven-story mixed-use building carries its working history into the future with highly adaptable live/work units.

Both front and back elevations of the building are active. The alley-facing façade features an 80-foot-tall hinge topped by a davit crane and five steel-clad, hand-cranked doors that cover nearly a third of the façade. The system references a warehousing tradition in how it moves oversize objects into the building. On the street side, large hinged windows open to provide natural ventilation throughout the units.

Designed to accommodate changes in use over time, the units are zoned for both residential and commercial use, and the building’s shell and core are built to last over 100 years. Geothermal loops were inserted into the building’s structural piles, resulting in an innovative and highly energy-efficient radiant heating and cooling system. This geothermal system is one of the first of its type to be implemented in the United States.

The building draws upon the architectural concepts of prospect and refuge, transposed to an urban setting. Tom Kundig, FAIA, RIBA

Team

Awards

2013

AIA National Honor Awards for Architecture, Honor Award

Architizer A+ Popular Choice Awards, Finalist, Residential Mid Rise (5-15 floors)

2012

European Centre and Chicago Athenaeum International Architecture Awards, International Architecture Award

2011

AIA National Housing Awards, AIA National Housing Award

AIA Northwest and Pacific Region Honor Awards, Honor Award

AIA Seattle Honor Awards, Honor Award

Residential Architect Design Awards, Project of the Year

2010

AIA Seattle Honor Awards, Citation, Art Stable Hinge

Publications