The Climate Pledge Arena is a historic civic icon and a critical piece of the matrix that defines Seattle Center. The renewal of the arena and the eight acres of public space reinvigorates an iconic place, creating a vibrant event experience and updating a powerful landmark public space where the region, city, and Seattle Uptown neighborhood gather.
The renewal of a beloved place and civic icon involves an iterative process to find the right balance of celebrating the existing and leaning into the future with the development of exceptional strategies for a complex site and program.
When the City gathers, Seattle Center is the common and natural choice. It is a place that welcomes all citizens, symbolizes the city’s civic soul and is accessible from all edges. The 1962 World’s Fair historic arena district on the western edge of the Center serves the surrounding urban village, the city, and event functions with eight acres of public space.
The renewal returns the full district to the public with fully accessible terraces, plazas, gardens, and overlooks for civic life. Designed for 24/7 use, the site is comfortable when full of event crowds, and during the quiet daily life of the city. Evening lighting creates a safe community gathering space for the growing urban village. Pedestrians are free to roam the open space network that re-connects the northwest quadrant of Seattle Center to the Uptown neighborhood.
As the world’s first arena to achieve Zero Carbon certification by the International Living Future Institute (ILFI), the Climate Pledge Arena more than lives up to its name, sending a powerful message that it’s possible to create complicated, beautiful structures that are environmentally sustainable and contain every contemporary amenity.
