Steepness in Seattle
Syska Designs Vertical Transportation For a Downtown Convention Center
It doesn’t rise as high as the Space Needle, but the Seattle Convention Center’s Summit building is surprisingly tall: Standing at 233 feet and containing 1.5 million square feet across 14 service levels and six levels of event space, it is one of the first vertical convention centers in North America.
The height presents no obstacle for visitor circulation, however, thanks to 19 elevators and 42 escalators – all designed by Syska, which served as the vertical transportation consultant for the project. Mike Garceau, Syska’s lead designer, told Connections about the unusual challenges the verticality of the facility presented and the rewards of solving them.
"It’s a beautiful project. I was very proud to be involved."
Mike Garceau, Lead Designer, Syska
Mike took over the project when his colleague, John Moran, retired. “It’s a beautiful project,” Mike says. “I was very proud to be involved.” One of the reasons he enjoyed the work so much was that the building’s escalators played a major role in the architecture. As he explains, “Nine pairs of escalators form what we call a ‘waterfall’ on one side of the building, and glass elements basically frame them. This was an important design aspect for LMN, the lead architect.”
He also appreciated the opportunity to solve atypical problems. The three freight elevators, for example, had to have sufficient capacity to hold automobiles and serve all the floors of the building without compromising safety. To achieve these criteria, Syska and manufacturer Schindler sized two of three elevators (the two that travel the full height of the building) a little smaller than originally anticipated, adjusting the capacity of 20 thousand pounds to 15 thousand pounds. By limiting the weight, Syska could specify the most effective safety jaws for added protection.
"This vertical organization actually makes the convention experience for a visitor much richer..."
Mark Reddington, LMN, Partner
Another atypical problem centered on the trusses that support the escalators. Most trusses cannot rise beyond 20 feet before intermediate support is required. Summit’s escalators, in contrast, rise 30 feet without intermediate support. Here Syska again worked closely with Schindler to arrive at a solution, and Schindler manufactured escalators with sufficient robustness and rigidity to span the distance.
Denise Begley, Director, Event Production & Studios at Microsoft, agrees. “The genius behind this vertical conference center is to take a smaller footprint within a city and still provide the space that event organizers need to create an impactful event,” she says. “I’ve produced three flagship events at the Summit building, and I can report that attendees love the ‘Hillclimb’ area, where escalators run parallel to a series of stairs and seating. People can step off the escalator and meet up in floor-to-ceiling glass surroundings for an organic, visual experience that brings the outside in.”
Mike loves the way the building looks. “When I talk about it, I start beaming,” he says. He’s eagerly awaiting the next stages of a larger development on the site, which include construction of an office tower followed by a residential tower. Syska designed vertical transportation for both buildings, specifying designs for manufacturer Otis. “These buildings will complement Summit in an aesthetically pleasing way,” Mike comments. They’ll also add to the atmosphere of community.”
"These buildings will complement Summit in an aesthetically pleasing way. They’ll also add to the atmosphere of community."
Mike Garceau, Lead Designer, Syska
Photographer Credit: Mike Garceau of Syska Hennessy Group