An Architectural Legacy Transformed

After serving for nearly 50 years as an office for Washington Mutual Bank, the striking modernist building at 1101 Second Avenue designed by renowned Seattle architect Paul Thiry was left vacant in 2007. With a dark interior and cavernous entry, the building was in need of re-imagining when it was acquired by Rockwood Capital. In partnership with Urban Renaissance Group, the firm began an ambitious renovation in 2012 with the hiring of a full design team including Mithun as architect and Simpson Gumpertz & Heger (SGH) as structural engineer.

Today, the building has as a major tenant the architectural firm MG2—which led the interior design for its new headquarters location. Passersby catch glimpses of design charrettes in the two-story studio at the corner of Second Avenue and Spring Street. The positive impact on the urban environment is easy to see, but the unique story behind this transformation is less obvious.

Seismic structural analysis indicated a number of significant challenges. The transfer of seismic force that ordinarily would have introduced obtrusive load transfer elements could have diminished the open layout and exterior views. However, the team developed a load transfer solution that avoided both through strategic shear wall placement and a load collector system embedded within the floor via high strength carbon fiber strips.

Respecting and exposing the structural ‘bones’ of Paul Thiry’s original work, the team also created an exterior envelope solution that maximized both thermal performance and daylight penetration while also providing the flexibility of operable windows.