International District Station

A neighborhood-responsive below-grade bus station, street-level public plazas, and ventilated cover over the queuing lanes of a bus tunnel at Fifth Avenue South and South Jackson Street in Seattle's International District.

Starting in 1985 with Upland Industry's Union Station Redevelopment project, ZGF worked with Seattle Metro Bus Tunnel station designers to guide and articulate transit development around proposals for 1.3 million square feet of retail and office spaces.

The collaboration resulted in an inviting, clutter-free, and durable urban pedestrian open space that fit well into the surrounding International District, Pioneer Square District, and the Kingdome development areas.

International District Station

The International District Station forms the south entrance to the Metro Bus Tunnel, serving buses traveling to and from areas south of downtown Seattle and areas to the east by way of Interstate 90. From this station, riders can reach Safeco Field and the Stadium Exhibition Center, buses serving the Rainier Valley and Beacon Hill, the new Waterfront Streetcar terminal, and the Amtrak train depot.

• The street plaza's surface grid, made with cast-in-place concrete and red brick pavers, organized placement of furnishings, shelters, and landscape elements.

• Large steel panels in the shape of origami patterns lined the below-grade platform wall and informed trellis design.

• Symbols of the Chinese calendar built into the station plaza floor with cut and colored brick.

• Brightly painted steel shelters created retail and protected outdoor public spaces.

Union Station Building Apron

The covered entry to the historic Union Station building had a sloping, non-pedestrian-friendly pull-up space with concrete curbs and asphalt paving for vehicles to park or wait temporarily for passengers.

Preserving this vehicular convenience but making the space more safe and accessible to people overall, my design created a level walking surface, replaced curbs with bollards, and matched the surface pattern planned for the Bus Tunnel surface plaza.

The choice of materials, stout proportions, colors, and other details aimed to make the apron appear to be a natural extension of the historic Union Station building.

The "Lid"

South of the International District station lay the below-grade bus queuing lanes and the Metro Bus Tunnel entrance from I-90, covered with a waterproof concrete "lid" supported by strategically placed structural footings, columns, and walls for future street-level plaza extensions and multi-story buildings.

Without native soil under the entire length of the 5th Avenue sidewalk, we suspended concrete trough planters for street trees, long and wide enough for roots to grow, but shallow enough to ensure bus clearance below.

Tunnel Ventilation

The mandatory bus queuing area intake and exhaust vents became a functional design opportunity for adding light and places for people to sit, lean, or perch along the sidewalk.

Role

Landscape Architect for ZGF on design, contract documents, and construction supervision project phases of historic Union Station apron, "lid" layout, street tree planters, and ventilation.

Contributed to consensus-building on development issues ranging from bus movements, placement of structural columns that worked for below-grade bus movements and future buildings, pedestrian circulation, vehicular traffic on adjacent streets, street lighting, plaza furniture, historic preservation, daylighting, timelines, detailing, and choice of materials.