Photo of 2 + U in Seattle, Washington Provided by Pickard Chilton @https://www.pickardchilton.com/work/2u
2+U is another Pickard Chilton project that was designed and built in Seattle, Washington. The idea that Pickard Chilton had, while designing this Class-A Office Tower, was that the building should have a sense of biomimicry and be able to infuse itself into the surroundings. Pickard Chilton claims 2+U was “envisioned as a first-of-its-kind Urban Village” designed to allow for pedestrian traffic to move freely underneath the canopy-like presence of the towers. Within this canopy, a wide array of restaurants, local shops, and outlet spaces are provided to mimic the Pike Place Market nearby. I believe this to be a really fun way to incorporate the office space with the local populace. To many in Washington, the public space is a sacred area meant for congregation and comradery. Pickard Chilton emphasized these values by emulating an open-air tree system which allowed 2+U to maximize the pedestrian walkways, provide weather protection year-round, and profit local businesses along with increasing morale amongst the workforce. Sarah Lloyd from the Curbed Seattle News Group reported on the new towers from the local perspective and provides these words: “Apart from the dedicated creative space, Skanska is currently working with local arts boosters 4Culture on putting together programming to activate the outdoor space.” It seems that Skanska had walkability and the neighborhood experience at the forefront of the corporate brain trust. This is an inspiring principle within the corporate world to begin listening to the community members that will be affected most by their development projects. Instead of placing an eye sore of a building that would take away from Seattle’s city plan, 2+U has found a way to improve the quality of life for Seattle residents while still getting the 2-tower system they wanted.
Information from:
2+U. (2021). Retrieved 12 November 2021. https://www.pickardchilton.com/work/2u
Llyod, S. (2021). Skanska’s 2+U towers carve out pedestrian and creative space. Retrieved 12 November 2021. https://seattle.curbed.com/2018/3/15/17117214/second-university-towers-construction-photos
