The "Trophy Building"

[Tiassa]

Source: Slog
Link: http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/02/the_trophy_building
Title: "The Trophy Building", by Dominic Holden
Date: February 29, 2008

The essential story:

The family-owned award manufacturer holds the one-story building sandwiched between the Marriott SpringHill Suites and the Downtown Emergency Services Center on Howell Sreet. In 2006, the land was rezoned along with the rest of the Denny Triangle to allow for skyscrapers, so the Anderson family, which has owned the property for 25 years and resented the drunk new neighbors, put the land up for sale. Seattle design firm and developer Pb Elemental submitted a bid to buy it. “This is urban infill basically,” says Elemental principal Chris Pardo. On less than a 3,000 square foot parcel, the firm plans to build a 440’ tower.

(Holden)

The proposed building:

​

The building will contain nineteen residential units ranging in price from $2-18 million.

The issue raised:

The incredibly small footprint poses a structural challenge that Pardo says required guns from Magnusson Klemencic Associates, engineers behind the downtown Seattle Library. “It ends up being a flagpole,” he explains. The tower is supported by a 30’ hollow concrete spine, rooted 90’ deep in the ground. Each floor is only about 2,100 square feet ....

.... But because there are fewer than 20 units, the building is exempt from the city’s design-review process, according to Pardo. He says that falling through the loophole was inadvertent. (My calls to the Department of Planning and Development to verify this loophole haven’t been returned.) It’s interesting, perhaps even alarming, that a skyscraper can be built without some sort of design guidance from the city. And in the case of the Trophy Building, it’s particularly surprising because it will be 40’ taller than surrounding proposed skyscrapers, such as 1200 Stewart and the Stewart Minor Tower, which are subject to extensive design guidance.

(ibid)

On the one hand, it sounds like a technical challenge. To the other, what if the designers fail that challenge? I mean, it looks pretty, but it also looks like it will fall over in a breeze.

 

[draqon]

geeese thats like kind of dangerous

 

[Facial]

There are similar dimensions of such high-rises in Hong Kong.

But yes, the designs should undergo intense scrutiny to withstand wind and seismic forces.

 

[kmguru]

I am sure the design can be sturdy. It is how this looks with respect to the surrounding area that can be questioned. But then again, once built, others could do the same next to this property to balanced out the sore thumb look.

We had a Rite-Aid store locally next to a fried chicken (this is south!) joint. So Walgreen bought it and put us its store next door. Samething happened to the McDonald next to a fraternity house that was bought out by BurgerKing....

 

[Asguard]

i cant belive it doesnt have to get building aproval, hell a GARAGE requires building aproval here, i think even some hen houses do. NO development is exsempt

 

[Tiassa]

Repackaging the neighborhood

It is how this looks with respect to the surrounding area that can be questioned. But then again, once built, others could do the same next to this property to balanced out the sore thumb look.

That whole part of town is being redeveloped. It's sort of a bizarre saga involving Paul Allen, any number of developers, overpriced condominiums, and the SLUT—a one-car trolley system also known as "The Train to Nowhere".

As Holden's article notes, "it will be 40' taller than surrounding proposed skyscrapers, such as 1200 Stewart and the Stewart Minor Tower, which are subject to extensive design guidance".

Clockwise: 1200 Stewart, Stewart-Minor, Kinects Apartments.​

Clicking the second or third image above will lead to The Seattle Condo Blog, which includes a map showing the location of all three buildings.

Right now, the general attitude of city leaders is that the more highrises they can pack into this part of the city, the better. The higher they can push the cost of real estate, the better. It's part of Seattle's transition into a "world-class city", or something like that.

 

[DJ Erock]

There's no way the building would be built if it weren't structurally sound. If an engineer puts his stamp on a building that, "will fall over in a breeze," he's not going to be in the business any longer. The city's design guidance would be on an aesthetic only basis. As far as that goes, I really don't think its too bad, and I don't really think a city should get to veto an architects design, just because some committee doesn't like it.