8th & Republican

Project Details

Project Description

FORMING PUBLIC SPACE Seattle’s Department of Planning and Development forecasts 70,000 new housing units coming online within the city limits over the next 20 years. This rapid growth will be a major force shaping our public space. Recently, Miller Hull teamed with the Runberg Architecture Group to design most of a half-block at Eighth and Republican in South Lake Union. The Wolff Company planned to develop 211 apartments, the new Glazer’s Camera showroom and a small neighborhood cafe-bar at the north end of a block identified as a pedestrian-oriented residential zone extending south to Denny Park. From the start, the exterior space formed by the building has been at the heart of our design approach. In response to the landscape of the Pacific Northwest, the simple massing is comprised of geometrical forms and colors similar to those of a sheer rock wall of a mountain. Extended balconies provide dramatic visual interest to the simplified façade. The balconies and windows were arranged to mimic the nearby sea-scape; similar to the way barnacles colonize a rock. A public elevated walkway, The Mega Stoop, traverses a large bio-retention rain garden through a Honey Locust and Aspen grove. Fronting the alley, The Work Yard provides a covered courtyard where residents can clean outdoor gear or find a kayak to roll down to Lake Union. The wooden terraces of Sunset Overlook fold a full story from the roof down through a slot in in the penthouse level, providing dramatic westerly views of the Space Needle and Olympic mountains beyond. The extensive amenities include a fitness center, pet wash station, elegant lounge areas with lodge-style fireplace, conference room, convenient bicycle parking and repair shop, resident package lockers, landscaped courtyard at ground level, and a game room. In addition to the amenity spaces and dynamic exterior with a gracious, voluntary public open space, the project features residential units with a high level of detailing to bring the modern aesthetic into the apartments themselves, differentiating the project from other buildings and providing a unique offering to the South Lake Union residential market. The units have unique white-ice appliances and contrasting warm wood, exposed concrete, plank floors and flannel carpet, quartz countertops, and expansive windows with roller shades. Full height pocket doors located at the window edge of the 1- and 2-bed units allow partitions between living and sleeping areas to open up and provide a more open, flexible living space. Kitchens are detailed to allow all appliances to flush out with the cabinet base, providing a custom, built-in look. Bathrooms use exaggerated recesses at the vanity toe-kicks to provide the appearance of floating vanities and feature custom tile tub surrounds to provide enhanced quality and elegant modern design.