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).
Completed in 2017 and designed by The Miller Hull Partnership, 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 as the gateway from the heart of downtown to the waterfront. 

Pike Place MarketFront was built cast-in-place concrete and engineered timber base, capped by an open-air structural steel framed pavilion. 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.
 

Description of  project by The Miller Hull Partnership

Building on an ICONIC HISTORY

Since its opening at the turn of the 20th century, Pike Place Market has become a pillar of Seattle’s urban fabric. More than just a public market, this neighborhood turned historic district is home to farmers, craftspeople, small businesses and residents, each an integral part of the area’s history and character. 

In 2011, the Pike Place Market Preservation and Development Authority (PDA) was given an opportunity to reclaim the site of a former Municipal Market Building that was demolished after a fire damaged the building in 1974. After a competitive process, PDA and the City of Seattle selected a team to design a new community space that complements the culture and spirit of the original Market, the second addition to Pike Place Market in nearly 40 years. 

Completed in 2017, Pike Place MarketFront caters to the present, but looks to the future, acting as the gateway from the heart of downtown to the waterfront. Today, the project serves as a critical connection point where the most essential goods and services are available within a 10-minute walk and well-served by transit. In the near future, Pike Place MarketFront will also lead down to Overlook Walk, a part of Seattle’s multi-phase waterfront revitalization plan that is currently in design.

Fostering a UNIQUE COMMUNITY

Like the existing Pike Place Market, Pike Place MarketFront is an active public space built for the community. Between 20,000 and 40,000 people visit the Market each day from all over the world. The highly compact, complete urban neighborhood of the Market exhibits the informal, diverse and vital compactness of true urbanism—buildings of varying age are humanly scaled, its streets are dominated by pedestrians, not cars, regional and local fish, fruits and produce are abundant and small owner-operated businesses are the rule, not the exception.

Pike Place MarketFront’s programmatic complexity and prominence within the Seattle community demanded deep involvement from a wide range of stakeholders, including the Market’s day-stall merchants and the PDA Council, whose vision is to rejuvenate the economic base toward stronger financial viability. Over two years, the design team participated in hundreds of public meetings, seeking comment on design direction and development. This interactive process and strong engagement of the Market’s community led to the creation of a high integrated “new urban place” that excites the long-standing residents, as well as the new visitors.

Celebrating an INDUSTRIAL SPIRIT

Early in the process, the Pike Place MarketFront design team established a set of goals to create a unique urban experience in Seattle’s Pike Place Market District. With the urban design framework for the waterfront in place, the MarketFront project was challenged to develop a rich range of pathways and experiences that engage the public in the immediate local environment, while ultimately linking to the future shoreline promenade on the waterfront. 

The design team’s vision was to open the city’s treasured landmark with grand public gathering space framed by a contemporary lightness and transparency. The team found contextual inspiration in the character of Pike Place Market’s simple utilitarian character, as well as in the concrete post and beam structures and heavy timber elements commonly found throughout the existing Market. An extension of the neighborhood, Pike Place MarketFront is inspired by the existing district, adding 50 vendor stalls, 40 low-income and senior apartments, commercial, retail and office space, public restrooms and 300 underground parking spaces.

Pike Place MarketFront has a strong Pacific Northwest toughness, employing cast-in-place concrete in combination with engineered timber for the project’s base, capped by an open-air structural steel framed pavilion. Railings, canopies and lighting fixtures are in galvanized steel. Large expanses of glazing utilize aluminum curtainwall with glue-laminated mullions to resist heavy wind loads and underscore the industrial feel.

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Architects
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The Miller Hull Partnership, LLP.
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Design team
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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.
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Collaborators
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Civil/Structural Engineer.- Magnusson Klemencic Associates. Structural Engineer.- Magnusson Klemencic Associates . MEP Engineer.- ARUP. Landscape.- Berger Partnership. Lighting.- dark | light design. Acoustical Engineer.- Greenbusch Group, Inc. Building Envelope Consultant.- Wetherholt and Associates. Door Hardware Consultant.- Adams Consulting and Estimating. Elevator Consultant.- Elevator Consulting Services. ADA Consultant.- Karen Braitmayer. Code Consultant.- Tom Kinsman. Archaeological Services.- ESA Associates . Wayfinding.- RMB Vivid. Traffic Consultant.- Heffron Transportation. Software used.- Revit.
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Contractor
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General Contractor.- Sellen Construction.
Sub-contractors.- GC.- Sellen Construction. Mass Excavation/Demo.- Ceccanti. Piling.- Malcolm Drilling Company. Shoring.- Condon Johnson. Utilities.- Gary Merlino Construction. Electrical.- Cochran. Mechanical and. Plumbing.- Auburn Mechanical. Landscape.- T Yorozu. Roofing/Waterproofing.- Synder. Metal Roofing & Wall Panels.- Northshore Exteriors. Glazing.- Eastside Glass. Fire Protection.- Patriot Fire Protection. Precast.- Olympian Precast.
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Date
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2017
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Venue
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Pike Place Market, Seattle, WA, USA.
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Materials and Manufacturers
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Structural System.- Manufacturer of any structural components unique to project.- Glue-laminated Framing.- Bojarsky Inc.
Exterior Cladding.- Curtain wall.- Kawneer. Metal Panels.- AEP Span. Cement. Panels.- Swiss Pearl. Precast concrete.- Olympian Precast. Moisture barrier.- Tyvek. Water repellent and anti-graffiti coatings.- Evonik.. Sealants.- Dow Corning, Pecora. Insulation.- Knauf, Owens Corning, Thermafiber
Waterproofing.- Below-grade and protected membrane systems.- Cetco
Roofing.- Multi-ply.- Soprema. Metal.- AEP Span
Windows.- Vinyl frame.- VPI.
Glazing.- Glass.- Guardian.
Doors.- Automatic Sliding Entrances.- Stanley. Metal doors.- Ceco Door .
Products.- Wood doors.- Lynden Doors. Fire-control doors.- Crawford. Security grilles.- Cookson. Sectional Doors.- Wayne Dalton.
Hardware.- Locksets.- Sargent. Closers.- Norton. Exit devices.- Sargent.
Interior Finishes.- Residential Cabinetwork.- Custom Interiors. Interior Paints.- Rodda Paint. Exterior Paints.- Tnemec. Solid surfacing.- Basix Surfaces. Floor and wall tile.- Dal Tile. Resilient flooring.- Patcraft. Carpet.- Milliken.
Lighting.- Interior.- WAC Lighting, Lithonia, Eureka, Prudential. Exterior.- Bega, Lumascape, Wagner, Elliptipar, B-K, Bock, Vision 3, Hi-Lite. Manufacturing, WE-EF. Dimming system or other lighting controls.- Eaton
Conveyance.- Elevators.- Otis.
Specialties.- Facility Chutes.- Wilkinson Hi-Rise.
Plumbing.- Residential Faucets.- Delta. Residential Sinks.- Elkay, Kohler. Residential Toilets.- American Standard. Residential Showers and Tubs.- FiberFab.
Energy.- Energy management or building automation system.- Johnson Controls.
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The Miller Hull Partnership. After starting their careers at other architectural firms, David Miller and Robert Hull (1945-2014) founded their firm in 1977.  They met as undergraduate students at Washington State University, after which they joined the Peace Corps. Serving in Brazil and Afghanistan respectively, both were struck by the raw beauty of indigenous structures that were economical, spartan and elegant in their response to climate and cultural conditions–the very essence of sustainable design.

This early exposure of working closely with people to construct and occupy buildings while making the most out of resources at hand had a lasting influence on The Miller Hull Partnership’s work. The work was inspired by Pacific Northwest Regionalism and they helped broaden its impact celebrating climate, geography and culture.

In early years the firm was primarily known for residential architecture. This was a natural, direct reflection of their strong feelings about the important role architecture plays in people’s lives. Beginning with homes and island cabins, over time the scope of projects has expanded to include everything from water treatment plants, to the busiest border crossing in the world, even US embassies abroad. Their portfolio emphasizes public buildings, but they design everything from schools, higher education facilities, nature centers, libraries, mixed-use buildings, laboratories and corporate offices. And yes, they still do some residential work–which now also includes multi-family and mixed-use buildings.

Their two studios, in Seattle and San Diego, strategically bracket the West Coast. Bob and Dave were jointly awarded both the Washington State University Distinguished Alumni Award in 2006, honoring alumni who have made significant contributions to society through their accomplishments, and the AIA Seattle Medal of Honor in 2010.
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Published on: February 21, 2019
Cite: "Gateway to the waterfront. New Place MarketFront by Miller Hull" METALOCUS. Accessed
<https://www.metalocus.es/en/news/gateway-waterfront-new-place-marketfront-miller-hull> ISSN 1139-6415
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