February 22, 2006

Triad Development Chosen to Create Seattle's New Civic Square
A New Heart for City's Government, Historic Districts

Local Firm Assembles International Team To Develop New Public Open Space

Seattle, WA - Triad Development, Inc. today announced it has been selected to create a new heart of the city's government and historic districts on the site of the former Public Safety building. Triad's development will combine a large public open space designed to resurrect the social, cultural and civic functions of traditional village squares with 21st Century office, residential and retail space.

More than 65 percent of the site will be designed as public open space and gathering areas, flanked by retail and a residential and office tower that will take up about 15 percent of the space.

"Seattle's Civic Square will be all about the people of Seattle - and will serve as a catalyst for an active and sustainable civic legacy," said Fred Grimm, CEO and co-founder of Triad Development, Inc.

Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels made the announcement today following an extensive review of proposals from private developers to implement the final piece of the City's Civic Center Master Plan that includes the Justice Center, City Hall and now the Civic Square site. The project connects Third and Fourth Avenues between James and Cherry Streets in downtown Seattle.

Grimm underscored Triad's commitment to building a sense of community. "Because of the outstanding expertise and experience of our assembled team, we're able to take non-traditional approaches to problems in order to find the right solution. We've attracted the best minds in the industry to combine their knowledge with hard-nosed common sense to create dynamic and successful properties that reward not only the bottom line, but also the community at large."

Grimm added that the team will be announcing its outreach process in coming months. "We want the people to see themselves reflected in this project, because we have listened and learned from them, and we will be announcing our outreach efforts in upcoming months."

"Triad proposes a dynamic design in keeping with the spirit of our Civic Center master plan, and even improving on it. I look forward to working with Triad as we complete our Civic Center campus with a beautiful and exciting new public open space in the heart of the city," said Mayor Nickels.

The lead architect for the project will be Seattle-based GGLO. The project design will be lead by Foster+Partners, the London-based firm of Lord Norman Foster, 1999 Pritzker Prize Laureate. Foster has established an international reputation with projects as diverse as the New German Parliament in the Reichstag in Berlin; the Master Plan for the redevelopment of Trafalgar Square in London; Chep Lap Kok International Airport in Hong Kong; Millau Viaduct at Gorges du Tarn, France and the design for 200 Greenwich Street, the second building in the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site. The lead Landscape Architect will be Atelier Dreiseitl from Uberlingen, Germany. Atelier Dreiseitl is well known for their work in the United States such as the Chicago City Hall green rooftop garden and Tanner Springs Park in Portland, Oregon.

Michael McGinn, of the Seattle Great Cities Initiative, expressed his support for the environmental values showcased in Triad's proposal. "I am excited the city will use this site to create a space that works not only as a civic gathering place but as a visible commitment to sustainability in its design. It's an important message about what matters to the people of Seattle."

Key project elements include:

Public open space: More than 65 percent of the space will be an open air plaza that is easily accessible to the public, oriented for sun and warmth, with links between indoor and outdoor spaces. The plaza is designed to attract the public throughout the day and into the evening. A unique "People's Pavilion" will anchor the open space and retail with a flexible stage, sound system and sliding glass doors for shows, arts, exhibits and programming. The pavilion, combined with an amphitheater and multiple seating areas, will help draw people to the plaza for activities. A new entrance to the light rail and transit station on Third Avenue will provide a direct link into the plaza spaces. Indoor gathering places will ensure that people can linger during inclement weather.

Civic Square Tower: The Square's 400-foot main structure will be located on the north edge of the site so that it enhances public and pedestrian life in the open space. Building uses will include commercial, office, retail and residential. Parking will be located under the plaza.

Sustainability: The project has the ambitious aim of achieving a LEED™ platinum rating, the highest available from the US Green Building Council (USGBC.)

The Civic Square group is comprised of Triad Development, Inc., Foster + Partners (Design Architect); GGLO (Seattle Architect and Landscape Architect); Atelier Dreiseitl, (Design Landscape Architect/Water Features); Arup (Structural/Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing/Sustainability); and Karen Whitman Projects (Open Space Operations and Management).

For more information on the project, contact:
Rita Brogan, PRR, 206.623.0232 x 204
Elaine Kraft, PRR, 206.623.0232 x 249

Download High resolution images

To download high resolution tif versions of these images, click on the desired image below. A hi-res image will open in a new window. This may take a while, depending upon the speed of your connection, as the images are from 1 to 5 MB in size.

Please use the captions provided below along with the respective image.

Windows PC users right-click and follow instructions to save image to disk, Mac users click and hold to follow similar instructions. Images are in compressed JPEG format / RGB mode at 300 ppi and can be easily converted to 4/color TIFF files using Photoshop or other image editing programs.

Note: It's possible only a portion of the hi-res image will display in your browser window, but the entire image will download when you save to disk.

View of Civic Square Plaza from Seattle City Hall, Foster + Partners (3mb)	Civic Square Site in Downtown Seattle Context, Foster + Partners and GGLO (1mb)	Light-rail exit with rainscreen protection, Foster + Partners (1.7mb)
Nighttime at Civic Square, Foster + Partners (2.3mb)	Daytime at Civic Square, Foster + Partners (5mb)	Site Sustainability Diagram, PHA Consult (1.8mb)