Located in the heart of Pioneer Square, Seattle’s oldest neighborhood, Occidental Square Park has undergone numerous transformations over its 160-year history. The new multi-use public pavilion continues the park’s ongoing revitalization, developed with input from the community and various stakeholders throughout the design process.
Photo: Aaron Leitz
Occidental Park Pavilion
Seattle, Washington
A popular neighborhood gathering place, the park hosts a rotating collection of food trucks and features several restaurants around its perimeter. It is also frequently used as the rendezvous point for the Seattle Sounders soccer team parade, and a before- and after-game party venue during the Seattle Seahawks football season.
Olson Kundig’s design features a 30-by-90-foot glass canopy supported by heavy timber beams and slender steel columns. The canopy height is scaled so there are no obstructions to sight lines through the park space. It also takes a cue from the established 17-foot height shared by all the historic brick buildings in the district. The covered space is welcome in an environment known for year-round rain.
The design also features a 200-square-foot kiosk for the park concierge made of timber and designed to open and close vertically like a jewel chest. Like the canopy, the kiosk is completely transparent at eye-level so the concierge has 360-degree views of the surroundings, but without interrupting line of sight through the park. The pavilion’s canopy and kiosk were designed as preassembled components by the project’s timber specialist, Spearhead, then transported to Seattle as modular elements for ease of installation, reducing construction impact and downtime within the public space.
Occidental Park Pavilion continues the evolution of one of Seattle’s oldest and most beloved public spaces. Shaped by extensive community input, this new multi-purpose jewel box thoughtfully complements existing buildings and sightlines, harmonizing with the surrounding urban context and human-scale experience of the park. The structure honors the Seattle waterfront’s wood industry pioneers, while showcasing the modern innovations in timber technology.Tom Kundig, FAIA, RIBA
Design Principal
Teton House
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Wasatch House
Salt Lake City, Utah
Team
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Connor Irick
Julia Khorsand
Publications
2019
Journal Staff. “2 projects starting at Occidental Square.” Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce, 2-3 Sep. 2019, 1. Print.