Building Design + Construction - October 2019

20 |BUILDING DESIGN+CONSTRUCTION | October 2019

SEATTLE’S NEWEST SUBSTATION

DOUBLES AS A CIVIC AMENITY

|TRENDSETTINGPROJECTS| By David Malone, Associate Editor, and John Caulfi eld, Senior Editor

In July, the fi rst substation

built in Seattle in three de-

cades opened between that

city’s fast-growing South

Lake Union area and Denny

Triangle. The Denny Substa-

tion is the culmination of

a three-year construction

and multiyear planning and

community engagement pro-

cess between the facility’s

designer, NBBJ, and Seattle

City Lights, the city-owned

electric utility.

The $210 million substa-

tion complex covers more

than 120,000 sf within

a block and a half of real

estate where a former

Greyhound bus mainte-

nance terminal once stood.

The complex includes the

10,000-sf substation with

slanted, stainless-steel

walls that pick up color

from sunlight and the sky.

Translucent glass panels

emit a soft glow when il-

luminated at night. Ambient

light is strategically placed

to brighten the building’s

interior space.

Translucent and trans-

parent walls, 35 feet high,

allow visitors to view di-

rectly into the substation.

This feature is meant to

remind the public about the

production and importance

of energy and power in daily

life. Indeed, what makes

this project unique is how

it has been designed to be

friendly to users and the

community at large.

An elevated walkway, one-

quarter mile long, wraps the

building. The west side of

the site includes a 44,000-

sf public green with an off-

leash dog park and space

for food trucks.

Inside are a 3,900-sf

community meeting space

and a 2,900-sf “energy

inspiration” space with a

pantry, offi ces, immersive

theater, activity zone, and

exhibition space. The sub-

station has its own public

art program that incorpo-

rates permanent artworks,

temporary pieces, and

ongoing cultural and artistic

programming.

The Denny Substation,

powered mostly by hydro-

electric energy, is projected

to be net positive, generat-

ing 105% of the energy

needs and projected to

achieve an energy use in-

tensity level of 15.5, on par

with Seattle’s Bullitt Center,

one of the country’s green-

est offi ce buildings.

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