/ Buildings / Pickard Chilton Tapped by Skanska to Design “The Eight,” An Innovative Office Tower in Bellevue, Washington

Pickard Chilton Tapped by Skanska to Design “The Eight,” An Innovative Office Tower in Bellevue, Washington

Parul Dubey on July 21, 2020 - in Buildings, News

Dynamic, Multifaceted Project in Downtown Bellevue Will Feature 25-Story Office Tower, Ground-Floor Retail, Public Space and Private Balconies

 

(New Haven, Conn. – July 21, 2020) – Pickard Chilton, an award-winning architecture studio best known for its innovative and cutting-edge design of corporate headquarters and campuses, has been selected by Skanska to design “The Eight,” the developer’s latest 800,000 gsf mixed-use office project at 10660 NE 8th Street in downtown Bellevue, Washington. Completion is anticipated in 2023.

The 25-story tower will feature 540,000 square feet of commercial office space with open floor plates and 10-foot ceiling heights, a 7,000-square-foot public plaza, 12,000 square feet of ground floor retail, and a 1,200-square-foot retail pavilion constructed with heavy timber. Balconies will be included throughout seven levels as well as a private, 3,000-square-foot rooftop deck.  The double-height second floor will feature amenities like a fitness center, event space and a landscaped terrace.

“The Eight is designed to enhance and engage the neighborhood and broader community, with a compelling architectural style that will raise the design aesthetic in Bellevue while staying true to the city’s tradition as well as the Pacific Northwest’s distinctive climate and ethos,’” said Anthony Markese FAIA, principal of Pickard Chilton. “We were able to carve exterior terraces out of The Eight’s dynamic, faceted form, which provides tenants with views both near and far, as well as a much-needed timely element of health and wellness.”

 

Bellevue, Washington has long been known as a bedroom community of Seattle, but it is now reaching a higher level of development due to an influx of technology companies that see the area as an alternative for growth. The city is also becoming more pedestrian, even developing its own mass transit system. The Eight’s premier location offers immediate pedestrian access to the new light rail station and Bellevue transit center as well as direct freeway access. An underground parking garage for 200 cars along with parking for over 200 bikes is also available.

The tower’s massing is articulated with exposed structure and balconies which are interwoven with greenery to knit the building together. Building upon Skanska’s recent success of the Pickard Chilton-designed 2+U, a mixed-use office tower in Seattle, the development will create a wholly unique, activated space dubbed the “Living Room.” It has been envisioned as a “third place” public amenity for gathering, working, and socialization directly connected to local retail. It is intended that this vitality and connectivity will carry through the entire tower.

The Eight features a healthy HVAC system and touchless controls that are likely to be of high interest given the current pandemic. The building’s spacious lobby and multiple terraces and outdoor spaces may have been designed pre-COVID-19 but will be key in helping the building’s tenants and visitors keep socially distanced. The Eight is also targeting LEED® Gold and Fitwel certifications.

 

 

ABOUT PICKARD CHILTON

Pickard Chilton is an international architectural practice noted for its expertise in the design of large, complex and often high-profile buildings including corporate headquarters, high-rise commercial office towers, hotels, and academic and health care facilities. The firm’s layered perspective informs all of its work, presenting clients with a sophisticated, knowledge-based approach that emphasizes design vision, integrity, a focus on client objectives, and exceptional service. Headquartered in New Haven, Conn., the firm’s recent completed projects include: River Point in Chicago; 145 Broadway, Akamai’s new headquarters in Cambridge, Ma.; Northwestern Mutual’s headquarters in Milwaukee; and, Eaton House in Dublin, Ireland. Current projects include 325 Main, Google’s new headquarters in Cambridge, Ma.; the Y2 Project and Global Gateway Shinagawa development, both in Tokyo, Japan; 2+U in Seattle, Wash.; and, Canal Place for Dominion Energy in Richmond, Va. as well as commercial and residential developments in Austin, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Miami, San Francisco, Stuttgart, Germany and Tokyo, Japan. Please visit www.pickardchilton.com for more information.

 

 

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