Seattle International Film Festival’s new home, and year-round venue is housed in one of Paul Thiry’s original buildings from the 1962 World’s Fair at Seattle Center. The challenge of this project was to insert a 100 seat theater, classroom, archives, and offices into the existing building without loosing the glassy airy quality of the mid-century modern structure. The design pulls the theater to the center of the structure keeping the perimeter as open as possible. Where enclosed office were required over-sized sliding doors and translucent plastic wall allow as much light and view as possible to enter the center of the space. The project utilizes a simple material pallet plywood, polycarbonate, color and light to create a simple fresh space that reflects the character of the organization without stretching the non-profit size budget. The original 1962 stair was uncovered from beneath drywall and oak trim and returned to it’s former glory. The 110 seat theater has a state of the art digital and analog projection booth, and reclaimed seats from the Cinerama. The 10,000 sf project was fast-tracked and completed in 5 months, on-time and on-budget. Kate Cudney, Hinge Studio Founder, was the project architect while at Owen Richards Architects.
Square Footage: 11,776 SF
Location: Seattle, Wa
Company: ORA
Contractor: Riehl Construction
Construction Manager: Keith Henrickson
Website: SIFF