Project
A Modern Icon, Refreshed
177 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA, USA
Second Life
on Third Avenue
To attract new tenants, 1201 Third Avenue in Seattle has been repositioned as a friendlier, more contemporary office building, beginning with new entry portals made from glowing, backlit marble slabs.
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Integrated signage updates the brand identity and simplifies wayfinding.
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The portals, entry glass and all new finishes and fixtures are designed to be reversible in the future — for instance, new aluminum flooring simply overlays the existing stone floor.
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Additional lobby upgrades include acoustic paneling, energy-efficient lighting and a suspended, stainless steel mesh for video projections.
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Reception and security desks have been redesigned and reoriented for improved traffic flow.
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New entry portals and contemporary signage help transition from the lobby to the elevator banks.
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On tenant floors, improved lighting and wayfinding extend the contemporary updates to this legacy property.
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After a contemporary redesign of its lobby and public spaces, 1201 Third Avenue, the second-tallest tower in Seattle, has been repositioned as a premier address for a new era.
Built in 1988, 1201 Third Avenue has long been attractive to the finance, insurance, real estate and law tenants who traditionally formed the commercial real estate market. However, as existing leases expired, and as Seattle has become renowned as a tech hotspot, the owners felt the building’s public areas needed updating to remain competitive.
Acknowledging the quality of the rich, historical finishes, NBBJ designed a phased series of “light touch” interventions that can be rolled back in the future, as design tastes inevitably change.
Starting with the main entry on Third Avenue, the dark stone entryways are lightened by the addition of glowing portals — made from thin, backlit marble slabs — and double-height transparent glazing. These features highlight the entrance and make it more welcoming, with integrated signage to update the brand identity.
Subsequent phases refreshed the lobby interior with new, reversible finishes and fixtures: aluminum flooring laid over a rubber mat and the existing stone floor; a stainless steel mesh (on which video will be projected) suspended in front of the existing wood-paneled walls; acoustic paneling; brighter, more energy-efficient lighting; and new reception and security desks, reoriented for better traffic flow.
Since the project began, occupancy rates have risen more than 10%, a testament to the renewed value of this legacy property.
Awards and Publications
Awards
Illuminating Engineering Society (IES), Illumination Award of Merit
Publications
Contract, “1201 Third Avenue,” February 19, 2016
