LMN ARCHITECTS REDMOND TOWN CENTER * Redmond, Wash. In the category of New Open Centers, LMN Architects, Seattle, was awarded the 1999 SADI for its design of Redmond Town Center in Redmond, Wash.
From the beginning, the designers of Redmond Town Center intended to create a center that would blend with the community, instead of being a fortress within it.
The resulting center is developed into city-size blocks, with streets connecting to the downtown Redmond street network. The blocks contain multiple buildings, much like the downtown areas of the past, each with its own street presence.
Street-level facades, complete with canopies, line avenues replete with trees, lighting and curbside parking. Street lamps provide generous lighting and a sense of security. Benches and fountains encourage people to stay in the area longer.
The buildings are constructed mainly of a blend of red brick with pre-cast concrete accents. In this first phase, panelized masonry was used. The hand-laid brick and pre-cast concrete were assembled into panels at a manufacturing facility, where attachment plates were placed. The panels were then shipped to the site and put together.
Much attention was spent on the experience of walking down the streets, evident in the design of walking surfaces, tree placement, street lamps, benches and fountains, as well as walkway coverings such as building arcades, steel and glass canopies and fabric awnings. These canopies and awnings help the buildings develop a scale that relates well to customers.
With that pedestrian-friendly street presence in mind, the designers hid the center's parking structure behind commercial spaces. The freestanding garage features a corner plaza and has retail on the ground level. An overhead walkway connects it to second-level shops in another center building. Placed in an out-of-the-way place, the parking garage becomes a secondary image, instead of dominating the center's landscape.
All roads lead to the center's focal point, a grand, circular public space surrounded by shops and cafes. Even before the center was fully open, local residents and employees began to use the space as a gathering/lunch area.
AWARD RECIPIENT LMN ARCHITECTS
Seattle
Walt W. Niehoff Jr. (partner)
CLIENT:
WINMAR CO. INC.
Seattle
Product Manufacturers/Suppliers: McCarthy, Bellevue, Wash. (contractor); KPFF, Seattle (structural and civil engineering); Interface Engineering Inc., Kirkland, Wash. (mechanical and electrical engineering); Hewitt Isley, Seattle (landscape); WPA, Seattle (graphics); Barkshire, Federal Way, Wash. (prefabricated brick panel); Olympian Precast, Redmond, Wash. (precast concrete); Eastside Glass, Redmond, Wash. (windows, storefronts); Evergreen Skylights, Kirkland, Wash. (skylights); Snyder Roofing, Lynnwood, Wash. (roofing); PCS, Bellevue, Wash. (studs and drywall); Metal Fab, Spokane, Wash. (exposed steel canopies); RW Fab, Spokane, Wash. (handrails and guardrails); Aztech Lighting, Bothell, Wash. (lighting); Long Painting, Seattle (painting)