- Program: Community Center
- Location: Seattle, WA
- Date: July 2009
- Professors: Nicole Huber, Peter Cohan
- Download the Thesis Document (68mb)
- Second Place @ AIAS City Center Competition
In May 2009, Seattle demolished two blocks off Broadway for the new light rail station.
The city plans to lease or sell the remaining 75% of the land to residential/commercial developers.
Although this is consistent with the original Transit Oriented Development strategy, this area of
Seattle has a greater need for a cultural landmark. With an expected ridership of 14,000 people,
the Capitol Hill Station calls for a reinvention of public and cultural space for the neighborhood.
This thesis proposes a Mediaspace building located directly above the new Capitol Hill Light Rail Station.
The proposal focuses upon two key issues: the complexities of locating a building on this particular site
and the potential role that an expanded multimedia-cultural program might play in the infrastructural
networks of greater Seattle. The design examines how a public building can function flexibly
to connect urban contexts and an array of cultural activities.