Amazon Block 44 Galleria

Project Title: Amazon Block 44 Galleria
Landscape Architect: Hewitt
Category: Category I - General Design over $500,000 Construction Budget
Location: Seattle, WA
Description: “This Galleria is but a small sliver of our city, but by making the most of what a small space can offer, we hope to make a difference in your day.” These words greet visitors and employees alike in the activated space between two corporate buildings in South Lake Union. Part of an ambitious project to catalyze development in this iconic neighborhood, the Galleria at Amazon's Block 44 is a large landscaped public green space bookended by water features and scattered with sculpted seating unified under an glass canopy installation by artist Spencer Fitch. It is a peaceful glen in an urban context.

Just as the corporate buildings anchor a vital intersection between two major arterial streets, the deliberate juxtaposition of urban and natural surroundings clearly demonstrates how landscape architecture can form meaningful open spaces that enhance civic life. Through the activated galleria, the public are invited to participate in a beautiful, curated space ordinarily earmarked for private use and proves that enormous community benefit can derive from even small spaces.

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