Seattle Federal Courthouse

Seattle’s award-winning courthouse has set a new standard in federal design for its innovative architectural, structural, and systems design, each of which incorporate many advanced features of security and sustainability. The LEED Silver certified tower uses glass extensively throughout the building both inside and out for its attribute of transparency.

Interior glass doors and semi-transparent walls throughout the building blur the line between inside and out, flooding the interior with natural light. Light-shelves, light scoops, louvers, and articulated ceilings are strategically placed to diffuse the light and bounce it deep into the interior to help reduce lighting power requirements during the day.

Laminated glass with a Saflex polyvinyl butyral interlayer by Solutia was specified to help protect the building’s shell in the event of an attack. Viracon’s VE-2M low-e coated glass provides over 70 percent light transmission while reducing solar heat gain by more than 40 percent.

Year:

2005

Facade Area:

180,000 sq ft

Location:

Seattle, WA

Market:

government

Height:

390 ft

Owner:

General Services Administration

General Contractor:

Absher Construction Company, J.A. Jones Construction

Architect:

NBBJ

Engineer:

Magnusson Klemencic Associates

Facade Consultant:

Hinman Consulting Engineers


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