FS4 The Space Needle & Seattle Center – Cutting edge civic architecture from 1962 to the future
This field session will give inside information on how historic civic structures adapt to the changing climate and changing public needs. A tour of the Seattle Center will include a behind the scenes tour of the 2017 renovation of the Space Needle with Olson Kundig Architects and GC Hoffman Construction Company. Local Historian Knute Berger will give an overview of the history of Seattle center. Prof. Tyler Sprague from the University of Washington will have technical information on the preservation of thin shell concrete. We will review the most recent rehabilitation of the net-zero certified Seattle Climate Pledge Arena, with the Populous architects and landscape architect Swift Company. The Seattle Science Center will present the technical issues associated with upcoming renovations. The field session will end with a walking tour of less than 2 miles around the Seattle Center Campus.
Speakers & Experts
Knute Berger
Knute “Mossback” Berger is Crosscut's Editor-at-Large and host of the Emmy winning Mossback’s Northwest TV series on KCTS 9. He writes about politics and regional heritage. Previously, he served as Editor-in-Chief of Seattle Weekly, Editor & Publisher of Eastsideweek, Managing Editor of Washington Magazine, and as a columnist for Seattle Magazine. Berger has written two books, “Pugetopolis” and “Space Needle, Spirit of Seattle,” and served as “Writer-in-Residence” at the Space Needle for its 50th Anniversary.
Alan Maskin
Alan Maskin is a principal and owner of Olson Kundig, where he leads an interdisciplinary team of architects, designers, visual artists and researchers. His team designs buildings, parks and gardens, installations, sculpture, digital art, graphic novels and film. For over two decades, Alan has pursued unconventional design challenges in public places. His built international portfolio includes museums, installations, exhibits, visitor-based destinations and urban park projects. In recent years, Alan has been awarded first place in multiple international design competitions, including The Bob Dylan Center, ANOHA – The Children’s World of The Jewish Museum Berlin, and Fairy Tales 2016, the world’s largest architectural ideas competition.
Bob Vincent
Bob Vincent is a project manager at Hoffman Construction Company and was a key leader in the delivery of the Century Project at the Space Needle. Bob specializes in complex and iconic projects located on sensitive downtown and occupied sites. His preconstruction and construction planning skills have helped deliver numerous award-winning projects on-schedule and on-budget, including Seattle Central Library, the Museum of Pop Culture, and the University of Washington’s Molecular Engineering Building, Founders Hall, Nanoengineering and Sciences Building, and Savery Hall. In 2020, he was honored by Engineering News Record as a Top 25 Newsmaker for his work on the Century Project.
Blair Payson
Blair Payson joined Olson Kundig in 2004 and has worked on both architectural and exhibit design projects, including the Century Project for the Space Needle, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Visitor Center, [storefront] Olson Kundig, and residential projects across the Western United States and Mexico. Blair regularly lectures and organizes conferences across the U.S. – most recently, he presented at the 2021 Advanced Building Skins Conference in Bern, Switzerland, co-chaired the 2020 Architect’s Newspaper Conference in Seattle, and delivered the 2019 Association of Licensed Architects keynote address. Blair holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Rice University, and he is the recipient of several design awards for his work on the Gates Foundation Visitor Center and the Century Project for the Space Needle, among other projects.
Tyler Sprague PE., PhD.
Tyler S. Sprague PE., Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Architecture, with an Adjunct appointment in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. He holds engineering degrees from the University of California, Berkeley and the University of Washington (UW) and worked professionally as a structural engineer before completing a Ph.D. in architectural history in the College of Built Environments at the UW. Dr. Sprague’s research investigates the intersection of architecture and structural engineering, in both post-war modern architecture and the present. He has written about the engineering of the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, and in 2019, he published Sculpture on a Grand Scale: Jack Christiansen’s Thin Shell Modernism with the University of Washington Press.
Will Daugherty, CEO PacSci
Will Daugherty has served as President & CEO of Pacific Science Center since December 2015. With a business mindset and a commitment to serving the community, Will has led PacSci to expand access, to strengthen delivery of science education in underserved communities throughout the state, and to become a resource for the region’s innovation economy. Will is a member of the Washington State STEM Education Innovation Alliance that advises the State of Washington’s Governor on policies to align and advance STEM education. Will came to PacSci with more than 20 years of leadership experience in the technology sector including Entrepreneur in Residence at the University of Washington and executive roles with P&L responsibility at Amazon, Expedia, and AT&T. He began his business career with management consulting firm McKinsey & Company, working for 10 years in Asia, Europe, and North America and becoming a partner and leader in the firm’s high-tech practice. Will serves on the Boards of Directors of the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce, KEXP, and Oxbow Farm & Conservation Center. His prior board service includes BECU, Special Olympics USA Games, Olympic Park Institute, and Children’s Discovery Museum of San Jose. Will earned a BA in Politics from Princeton University, where he also served as a Research Assistant in the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies, and a MA in Political Science from Columbia University, where he taught graduate and undergraduate courses in international relations, military strategy, and political economy.
Geoff Anderson
Geoff is a principal architect at Schemata Workshop, a Seattle-based architectural practice with a keen focus on community, social equity, and sustainability. Schemata Workshop works on project types that shape Seattle and guide regional growth – such as the Seattle Central Waterfront, Equitable Transit Oriented Development (eTOD), Parks & Recreation Districts, and affordable housing. Our co-design process engages not only the client and consultants, but also community stakeholders that will be impacted by his projects. Geoff’s clients include public agencies & municipalities, non-profit organizations, community-based organizations, and private entities. Geoff’s career has always included work related to historic preservation and adaptive reuse. He received a Certificate in Historic Preservation and Planning with his Master of Architecture degree from the University of Washington and has worked on project ranging from the study of the historic building at UW Tacoma for reuse, to the rehabilitation of buildings at historic Sand Point Magnuson. He is currently working on the adaptive reuse of a mid-century modernist bank building to convert it into a community resource center.
Geoff Cheong
Geoff is an architect and Senior Principal at Populous, bringing experience in sports and entertainment venue design and event management. Geoff served as lead project designer for Climate Pledge Arena in Seattle, Washington, the most complex arena design in the firm’s history. Climate Pledge Arena is the first professional arena in the U.S. listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is home to the NHL’s Seattle Kraken and WNBA’s Seattle Storm. It is the world’s first Net Zero Carbon arena, and one of the most inclusive and universally accessible. Over the past 15+ years, Geoff has led the design of global sports and entertainment projects, including: T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, LoanDepot Park in Miami, Centre Vidéotron in Quebec City.
Barbara Swift, FSLA
Barbara Swift is a skilled and seasoned practitioner, a Fellow in the American Society of Landscape Architects, and an Honorary member of the Seattle American Institute of Architects. She is committed to creating powerful places that resonate over time. Educated at the University of Washington and licensed in Washington, Wyoming, Oregon and Idaho, Barbara is known for her collaborative skills, strategic thinking, and design excellence in diverse circumstances from urban systems to wild landscapes. Barbara’s innovative work has been acknowledged with multiple awards and fellowships with Centrum, the European Ceramic Work Centre, and the Runstad Center. Her commitment is evidenced in years of service with the Seattle Design Commission, Seattle Arts Commission, and the ARCADE Journal.
Larry E. Johnson, AIA Emeritus
In 1963, Larry E. Johnson, AIA, attended the World's Fair at Seattle Center as the boy scout who raised the Montana State Flag in the opening ceremony. Larry is a Seattle native and is committed to preserving this region's cultural heritage. He has a diverse background in community and regional planning, residential and commercial architecture, and historic preservation, as well as a continuing interest in architectural and maritime history. He established The Johnson Partnership in 1979, and in addition to providing professional architectural services, Larry has consulted on historic evaluation and preservation projects ranging from local to national importance. Larry has previously served as past Chair for the Seattle Chapter AIA Historic Resources Committee, past Chair of the Ballard Avenue Historic District, Council Member for Historic Seattle, Trustee for The Northwest School, and as Board Member for the Virginia V Foundation and Swedish Cultural Center.
Melanie Sease
Melanie Kelson Sease is a Project Administrator at Olson Kundig, where she works closely with project teams and external partners to support design and construction. Melanie holds an engineering degree from the University of Minnesota – Duluth and worked as a civil and structural designer before joining Olson Kundig in 2022. Her current work spans residential, hospitality and cultural projects across the U.S.
Ellen Mirro, AIA
An Architect and Architectural Historian, Ellen Mirro is a partner in Studio TJP, Architects and Modern Preservationists. She has a bachelor’s degree in Art History from UCSC and a Master’s degree in Architecture from UW. Ellen specializes in long term stewardship projects, such as the phased rehabilitation of the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia’s National Register office property, a National Register stone building on Seattle’s Capitol Hill. Ellen contributed to the Society of Architectural Historians Archipedia project with several entries for the Seattle Center. Ellen also presented a paper at the 2020 Society of Architectural Historians International Conference in Seattle.
Special Thanks
Julia Levitt
Strategic Advisor
Seattle Center Redevelopment Office