This story was originally posted on MyNorthwest.com
Drivers waiting to merge onto I-5 south in South Lake Union might have spotted something unusual — the nose of a Boeing 747 sticking out of a development.
Project WB1200, soon to be two 47-story towers, will house a full Boeing 747 once completed, Henriquez Architects, the architectural firm that led the design, confirmed to MyNorthwest.
Japanese design firm OSO created the concept of using a Boeing 747 as a public art piece. Once the 484-foot-tall buildings open, visitors will be able to walk inside the plane.
The development, at 1200 Stewart Street, was conceived as a gateway building into downtown Seattle, according to Henriquez Architects.
South Lake Union project aims to create year-round community hub
The 1,407,876-square-foot mixed-use project will house 1,048 rental units and retail space at the bottom, including Live Nation, Trader Joe’s, and a Wells Fargo bank. It will span an entire city block and will include 611 parking stalls and a three-story commercial podium, anticipated to be a community hub.
“The podium is cleaved by a three-story-high structural glass galleria, which provides a pedestrian connection through the block and offers an active replacement of the vacated alley,” Henriquez Architects stated via email. “This covered galleria is expected to be a year-round gathering space, and will house a full-size Boeing 747, a winding garden, and access to the residential lobbies.”
While the finished product is sure to stand out, Henriquez Architects pointed to the sculptural balconies as the most striking feature.
“Their topographical or geological expression makes them appear like timeless, weathered sentinels in the skyline,” the firm stated.
Henriquez Architects said it started working on the project in 2015 and expects it to be completed in around one year. Cobalt, a real estate development and advisory firm that focuses on projects in the Pacific Northwest, is managing the build for OPTrust, the Canadian pension fund behind the development.
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