Northlake Commons: Neighborhood-scale Stormwater, Connections and EcologyLandscape Architect: Weber Thompson Northlake Commons reimagines an industrial site in the heart of Seattle as a healthy, restorative mixed-use LEED Platinum commercial building. Celebrating biophilic design both inside and out, the project re-establishes a public connection to Lake Union, maximizes ecological function by cleaning regional stormwater runoff, and serves as a respite for tenants and the community. The project’s ambitious integration of ecosystem and neighborhood- scale stormwater infrastructure extends benefits far beyond the building’s footprint. Located within the shoreline buffer of Lake Union, where salmon species migrate through a lethal gauntlet of untreated roadway runoff, the project reroutes and annually cleans 2.6 million gallons of stormwater from neighboring streets. The project goes beyond code requirements to reverse the harmful effects of untreated stormwater. Providing outdoor public spaces with views of Seattle’s skyline and Lake Union, Northlake Commons delivers through-block connections for the neighborhood. Embodying the layers of a forest, the building design connects the site’s history as an old-growth forest to its lumber mill legacy, while the landscape exemplifies the ecological impact a project can have on its community. |