While at Owen Richards Architects, Kate Cudney, Hinge Studio’s founder, was the Design Architect for The Chihuly Garden + Glass Exhibition at Seattle Center. This approximately 50,000 sf exhibition, art garden and glass house for Seattle’s renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly occupies an iconic location at the base of the Space Needle. Kate and Owen worked closely with the Chihuly Studio, the Space Needle Group, and the City of Seattle to orchestrate a solution that would support the artist’s vision for the exhibition, meet the project criteria of the varying stake holders, and that would merit such a prominent public place in the City’s Cultural Center. The project utilizes steel, glass, and green walls and roofs to transform the existing concrete block structure and asphalt landscape into a lush oasis. Kate worked with Richard Hartlage, the project’s landscape architect to use landscape to embed the project into the larger site. An urban forest originating from Seattle Center’s Master Plan spirals around the project, wrapping up and over the existing building creating a lush back drop for the gem-like glass house inspired by Dale Chihuly’s love of Victorian Era Conservatories. In addition to exhibition and garden space, the project also features retail space, a cafe, and a lush public promenade and garden.
Square Footage: 50,000 SF
Location: Seattle Center – Seattle, WA
Architect: ORA Architects
Landscape Architect: Richard Hartlage – Land Morphology
General Contractor: Schuchart
Structural Engineer: Seattle Structural
Photography: Benjamin Benschneider, Lara Swimmer