Pike Place MarketFront by The Miller Hull Partnership

The Miller Hull Partnership, an international, award-winning architecture and planning firm, has received a 2019 AIA Institute Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design for Pike Place MarketFront from The American Institute of Architects (AIA).

© Lara Swimmer

Architect: The Miller Hull Partnership
Client: Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority (PDA)
Location: Seattle, Washington, USA
Year: 2017
Site Area: 39,600 SF
Project Area: 210,000 SF
Partner-in-Charge: Sian Roberts
Design Leads: David Miller and Brian Court
Project Managers: Wojtek Szczerba and Steve Doub
Specifications: Steve Doub
Project Architects: Becky Roberts, Peipei Sun, Sean Waldron, Eugene Lau, Casey Riske, Ryan Drake, Cory Mattheis, Rohit Eustace, Grace Leong, David Cinamon, Janet Bean, Ryan Rideout
Photography: Mat Albores, Lara Swimmer, Vlanka Catalan, Navid Baraty, Peipei Sun, Miller Hull

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From the architect: This honor underscores the point that the contribution architects make to clients and the public is not only a matter of single buildings, but also how those buildings relate to one another and create the infrastructure for a community and a civilization, explains AIA President William J. Bates, FAIA.

© Navid Baraty

Completed in 2017, Pike Place MarketFront is first major addition to the iconic Pike Place Market in nearly 40 years. The new community space complements the culture and spirit of the original Market, catering to the present, but looking to the future as the gateway from the heart of downtown to the waterfront. Soon, Pike Place MarketFront will connect directly to Overlook Walk, part of Seattle’s multi-phase waterfront revitalization plan that is currently in design.

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“We were so humbled when we were selected for this project because we knew how important it was going to be for the city of Seattle,” said David Miller, founding partner of Miller Hull and design lead on the project. Pike Place MarketFront is located in a highly compact neighborhood, one that embodies true urbanism. Miller Hull’s design opens the city’s treasured landmark with grand public gathering space, framed by a contemporary lightness and transparency. Contextually inspired by the toughness of the Pacific Northwest, Pike Place MarketFront oozes simple, utilitarian character through its cast-in-place concrete and engineered timber base, capped by an open-air structural steel framed pavilion.

© Lara Swimmer

Like the existing Market, Pike Place MarketFront is an active public space built to serve the surrounding community and the nearly 40,000 people from across the world who visit the area each day. An extension of the existing neighborhood, the project added 50 vendor stalls, public restrooms, 40 low-income and senior housing units and retail/office space.

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This programmatic complexity and prominence within the Seattle community demanded deep involvement from a wide range of stakeholders, including the merchants who would be using the space. Over two years, the design team participated in and facilitated hundreds of public meetings, seeking comment on design direction and development that led to a new urban place that tantalizes visitors and longstanding residents alike.

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“This recognition echoes the importance of the project to the city, as well as the importance of public space in urban areas in general,” said Miller. “We are very excited about this award and we hope that Pike Place MarketFront will become a can’t-miss experience for all.”

© Lara Swimmer

The jury for the 2019 AIA National Institute Honor Awards for Regional and Urban Design included Lance Hosey, FAIA (Chair), Gensler, San Diego; Jonah Cohen, FAIA, Hacker; Jeffrey Huber, AIA, Brooks + Scarpa Architects; Marcel Quimby, FAIA, Gensler, Dallas; and Claudia Herasme, New York City Department of City Planning.

© Lara Swimmer

© Peipei Sun

© Peipei Sun

© Peipei Sun

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