Benaroya Hall
Seattle, WA

Seattle’s symphony hall has already placed a unique imprint on the city’s downtown culture, linking the urban site’s commercial life with a facility to celebrate the arts. The 2,500-seat S. Mark Taper Foundation Auditorium and 540-seat Illsley Ball Nordstrom Recital Hall are home to over 200 performances a year. Together the facilities comprise 161,000 square feet for premier orchestral performances.

The Drum Wall, the sweeping curved glass facade that comprises the public face of the hall and incorporates the lobby entrance, is the primary feature of the design. Standing four stories at the south corner of the complex, the facade encloses the high ceilinged lobby with a glass skin that provides dramatic views of downtown, nearby Puget Sound and the Seattle Art Museum. The $120 million complex spreads horizontally over an entire city-block rather than mirroring the verticality of neighboring buildings. A horseshoe design allows for large expanses of curved glass, while steel and limestone let the facility blend with its immediate urban surroundings.

Working closely with the architect, the Enclos design team developed a simple yet elegant minimalist facade system to accommodate the views and optimize transparency. Despite its simplicity, the system was able to accommodate spanning requirements in excess of 25 feet and a recessed niche at column locations. The facade employed clear vision glass in over 90 percent of its surface.

The unique site location and construction program presented challenging logistics to the installation of the facades. The Enclos site operations team developed a strategy that eased congestion and accelerated facade installation. The effectiveness of the strategy is evidenced by the facade work being executed on time and under budget.

This project has received numerous design awards, including the AIA National Honor Award, 2001.