Canal Street Office Transformation in Fremont / Heliotrope Architects

Canal Street Office Transformation in Fremont / Heliotrope Architects - Exterior Photography, Stairs, Facade, Glass
© Aaron Leitz

Canal Street Office Transformation in Fremont / Heliotrope Architects - Interior Photography, Kitchen, Table, ChairCanal Street Office Transformation in Fremont / Heliotrope Architects - Interior Photography, KitchenCanal Street Office Transformation in Fremont / Heliotrope Architects - Interior Photography, Table, Chair, WindowsCanal Street Office Transformation in Fremont / Heliotrope Architects - Interior Photography, Kitchen, Stairs, HandrailCanal Street Office Transformation in Fremont / Heliotrope Architects - More Images+ 12

More SpecsLess Specs
Canal Street Office Transformation in Fremont / Heliotrope Architects - Interior Photography, Kitchen
© Aaron Leitz

Text description provided by the architects. The Canal Street project takes a narrow, commercially-zoned, urban-infill lot with a small, rundown 1950s-era house and transforms it into a new, forward-thinking, 5,233 square foot, commercial office building for Turnstyle (a graphic design firm) and Stoke (a branding firm). The 30-foot-wide x 100-foot-deep lot is situated along a shoreline greenbelt across the street from the ship canal in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle.

Canal Street Office Transformation in Fremont / Heliotrope Architects - Interior Photography, Kitchen, Stairs, Handrail
© Aaron Leitz

The design cleverly navigates the land use code to maximize the overall building size by squeezing four floor levels onto a site that, technically, only allows two. This was achieved by taking advantage of a ten foot ground elevation change from the front of the building to the rear alley, allowing the architect to designate the first floor a “basement,” and put the two main floors above. On top of those is a code-allowed “mezzanine,” resulting in four floors total. 

Canal Street Office Transformation in Fremont / Heliotrope Architects - Image 17 of 17
Section
Canal Street Office Transformation in Fremont / Heliotrope Architects - Image 16 of 17
Floor Plans

Each floor has its own unique experience with the site. The “basement” ground floor is the main entry and opens to the ship canal park across Canal Street. The next floor up connects to the alley where the building parking is, and has a shared conference room looking west to the canal through a first-of-its-kind frameless, fire-rated glass wall. The next floor has large wood-framed European window walls at the front with views to the ship canal, and the rear, bringing in natural light from both ends of the building. The mezzanine level connects to the two floors below through the atrium, and accesses a deck with views south over the canal.

Canal Street Office Transformation in Fremont / Heliotrope Architects - Interior Photography, Kitchen, Stairs, Handrail
© Aaron Leitz

The building structure is comprised of large steel moment frames that rise out of a monolithic concrete base. The steel frames act as ribs for the exterior metal skin and are left exposed and expressed in the building interior. A cantilevered concrete awning shelters the front entry. The front and rear facades are primarily glass window walls.

Canal Street Office Transformation in Fremont / Heliotrope Architects - Interior Photography, Kitchen, Table, Chair
© Aaron Leitz

The interior was designed to maximize visual and physical connections between the four floors by incorporating a skylight-topped atrium rising up through the center of the building, containing the communal stair, and flooding the building interior with enough natural light that artificial lighting can be turned off during daylight hours.

Canal Street Office Transformation in Fremont / Heliotrope Architects - Interior Photography, Table, Chair, Windows
© Aaron Leitz

Interior finishes are restrained almost spartan and comprised of white painted sheetrock walls, concrete floors, custom ash cabinetry, and a custom-fabricated blackened steel stair and bridge.

Canal Street Office Transformation in Fremont / Heliotrope Architects - Exterior Photography, Facade, Glass, Concrete
© Aaron Leitz

Project gallery

See allShow less

Project location

Address:Seattle, Washington, United States

Click to open map
Location to be used only as a reference. It could indicate city/country but not exact address.
About this office
Cite: "Canal Street Office Transformation in Fremont / Heliotrope Architects" 19 Jun 2020. ArchDaily. Accessed . <https://www.archdaily.com/941935/canal-street-office-transformation-in-fremont-heliotrope-architects> ISSN 0719-8884

© Aaron Leitz

西雅图运河街办公楼改造 / Heliotrope Architects

You've started following your first account!

Did you know?

You'll now receive updates based on what you follow! Personalize your stream and start following your favorite authors, offices and users.