STATION RENOVATION AT KING STREET STATION
Seattle
BEST PROJECT
Sent by: Sellen Construction
OWNER: Cultural Spatial Agency
LEADING DESIGN COMPANY: Side x Side Architects (formerly SKL Architects)
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Sellen Construction
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING: Quantum Consulting Engineers
MEP ENGINEERING: Ecotop
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING: TFWB engineers
ACOUSTIC: BRC Acoustics and Audiovisual Design
Renovations to the second floor of the historic King Street Station have transformed the space into an 11,100 square meter cultural space where artists, especially those from historically underrepresented communities, can thrive. The $3.86 million Station Space is home to five youth-focused arts organizations: Totem Star, Rhapsody Project, Red Eagle Soaring, Whipsmart and the Jackson Street Music Program. Each group has a 60 year free rent contract. This guaranteed longevity and stability allows these organizations to concentrate on educating and mentoring young artists.
The renovated space includes rehearsal and performance spaces, recording studios, a black box theater, library and instrument workshop, and general meeting spaces available to the community. Other services include a kitchenette, community spaces and a support space to facilitate classes, workshops and performances.
Photo by Cleary O’Farrell
Located in a part of the station that had been empty for 60 years, Station Space is designed to seamlessly blend the new and the old. A recording studio is isolated from its surroundings by a floating floor and double acoustic walls. A high-efficiency variable refrigerant flow system with independent energy recovery from ventilated outdoor air, connected to the station’s ground loop system, provides quiet heating and cooling. The original vaulted concrete ceilings and riveted columns remain on view, juxtaposed with modern inserts such as a hemlock-clad center aisle.
Photo by Cleary O’Farrell
Working at the operational King Street station, which serves three Amtrak lines and Sound Transit commuter trains, required meticulous planning to ensure safe pedestrian passage through the active construction zone. The team worked closely with a marketing team to design and install clear and informative wayfinding signage, ensuring travelers could navigate the area safely and efficiently. This additional signage not only guided pedestrians, but also presented a unique opportunity to display the logos of all the organizations involved in the project, as well as the five non-profit organizations that now occupy Station Space. The city’s Office of Arts and Culture, located on the station’s third floor, remained open throughout construction.
Photo by Cleary O’Farrell
The station was first built in 1906. As a result, the crews encountered some unusual challenges. On the one hand, the existing air conditioning system did not have the infrastructure for the connections, partly due to incomplete ducts in the covered space. Preserving the historic features of the structure and maintaining the existing plaster columns and ceiling finishes in the public corridor, as well as the windows and steel columns, was another priority. Communication and collaboration between project partners proved critical to resolving these issues and ensuring the project was delivered on time and on budget after just five months of construction in October 2023.
