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2+U is a Class-A office tower located in one of the most strategic locations in downtown Seattle. Its compelling connection and access to the waterfront, Pike’s Place Market and the Central Business District invigorates the work environment for companies seeking an address in the core. 2+U creates a new and welcoming, communal destination representative of the region’s unique character.
The space beneath the elevated tower creates a high forest-like canopy above 24,000 square feet of publicly accessible open space that serves the entire neighborhood. Envisioned as first-of-its-kind Urban Village, this multi-level pedestrian experience traverses a 30-foot grade change within a network of ramps, steps, and terraces that recall the passages at nearby Pike Place Market. Publicly accessible elevators and ramps fit seamlessly within the city's system of hill-climb assists, to help people of all abilities.
While the tower above provides year-round weather protection akin to a tree canopy's warmth and comfort, the dynamic open-air retail experience below serves as a gathering space for the public. With five access points, the Urban Village fuses local retail, art, culture, and nature to offer 16,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space and The Studio, a free community arts and culture space. Designed to be a very porous and welcoming pedestrian experience, the village also accommodates event and entertainment spaces and large-scale art opportunities within the public plaza.
News
- Popular Mechanics > These 165,000-Pound Columns Will Heft a 38-Story Tower 85 Feet Off the Ground
- Daily Journal of Commerce > This 85-foot-tall ‘W' is giving Skanska's 2+U legs to stand on
- Urban Land > Six Noteworthy Developments Changing the Face of Seattle
- World Architecture News > Pickard Chilton wins 'design hack-a-thon' for downtown Seattle tower
- Seattle Times > Skanska’s new Seattle office tower designed by Pickard Chilton
Awards
- AIA Connecticut > Sustainable Architecture Award of Merit | 2021
- Chicago Athenaeum > Green Good Design Award | 2021
Data Summary
- Gross Area
- 1,000,000 ft2 (92,900 m2)
Project Type
Status
Location
Feature
Team Members
- Architect of Record
- Kendall/Heaton Associates
- Structural Engineer
- Magnusson Klemencic Associates
- MEP Engineer
- WSP
- Landscape
- Swift Company
- Contractor
- Skanska USA Building