Hewitt Architecture’s design for Skyglass Apartments is a finalist in the 8th annual GRAY Awards.
FINALIST
Breakout category: Visionary
Designer: Hewitt Architecture
Project location: Seattle, Washington, United States
Date of completion: January 2024
Photography: Lara Swimmer, Tim Rice Photography
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SUBMISSION
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“. . . tall buildings enable the human interactions that are at the heart of economic innovation, and of progress itself.” - Edward Glaeser, Professor of Economics, Harvard University, Director of Cities Research Center, International Growth Centre
Since 2008, more than half of the world’s population lives in cities. Tall buildings are essential to urban life, reducing auto-dependency, maximizing land use, and creating opportunities for community and connectivity. Vertical living is inherently sustainable, using less land and optimizing resource efficiency through shared walls which reduce energy costs and increase potential for integrated green technologies. Tall buildings require sensitivity when relating to the human scale while shaping the imageability of cities.
However, many tall buildings are often designed with a focus on economic efficiency and a formulaic approach, resulting in monotonous, box-like structures that fail to engage with their cultural and aesthetic surroundings. This standardization results in skepticism about the skyscraper typology, with many high-rises lacking in distinctiveness and user-centric design. Skyglass, a 32-story, 338-unit residential tower answers a call for a more user-centric and context-aware skyscraper which aims to challenge the formulaic monotony that characterizes much of high-rise architecture today.
Reimagining the Urban Fabric
Skyglass draws from the urban landscape of South Lake Union, creating a dual presence: one integrated with the neighborhood’s streets and blocks, and another resonating on a larger scale within a city celebrated for its striking landscape. The base and podium honor the area’s industrial history, establishing a human scale. A variety of entry points for residents link the building to adjacent site features, enhancing interaction with the neighborhood and fostering accessibility and interaction. Residential stoops hover above bio-retention plantings along Dexter Avenue. The alley, reimagined as a vibrant urban space, connects residents to Denny Park, and Thomas Street establishes a connection between the building’s entry and Seattle Center.
Sustainability and Efficiency:
Skyglass is LEED Gold certified, aligning with Pacific Northwest values. The building’s design promotes walkability, minimizes car dependency, and incorporates thoughtful landscaping and stormwater management which supports local ecosystems.
Optimized for Impact:
Skyglass challenges conventional high-rise design through micro-shifting its floorplates, creating an assortment of apartment sizes, diverse layouts, pricing options and dynamic spatial qualities, enhanced by a variety of tilted façade configurations. The façades provide a distinctive spatial character, much like those found in historic attic-level apartments, avoiding a generic apartment experience. Floor-to-ceiling angled glazing maximizes natural light, a vital feature in the Pacific Northwest. The concept is humancentric, resulting in an authentic architectural response inspired by Seattle’s powerful natural landscape and rejecting a formulaic design. The tower’s materials are ethereal, reflecting natural features and maritime climate where clouds and sunlight interplay, resulting in a structure that is both ever-changing and engaging.
City-Scale Expression:
Central to the design concept is the fusion of human-centric principles with sculptural innovation. The tower's form, shaped to prioritize its inhabitants' needs, rises as a dynamic addition to the skyline. It not only contributes to the city's visual impact but also enriches its imageability—a key aspect in the dialogue surrounding tall buildings. The micro-shifting floors of Skyglass are 'active' in the public realm, appearing to expand and contract, contributing to Seattle’s skyline as an iconic presence reflecting the distinct nature of skyscrapers. The concept of Active Form creates an optical illusion of the tower flattening when viewed from perpendicular vantage points. This phenomenon echoes historical architectural traditions, drawing parallels with ancient Greek entasis and Renaissance forced perspective. It underscores the idea that contemporary tall buildings, like this, can enrich the cityscape with layers of visual intrigue
Elevating Expectations:
Skyglass exemplifies a new paradigm for tall buildings—one that blends function with poetry, making it more than just space, but a place where people genuinely want to be. By reimagining the standard high-rise formula, Skyglass elevates the expectations of what tall buildings can be in a cityscape often dominated by box-like, developer-driven designs. This visionary project succeeds in finding innovative ways to engage both apartment residents and city dwellers on a more meaningful and profound level, proving that tall buildings can, and should, be integral to the vibrant and dynamic fabric of urban life.
DESIGN TEAM:
Julia Nagele - Senior Principal, Director of Design
Sean Ludviksen - Principal-in-charge, Director of Practice
Michael Larson - Project manager
Tuan Tran - Project architect
Laura Uskevich - Project designer & architect
Laura Graden-Cotts - Project designer & architect
COLLABORATORS:
Client: Gemdale, USA
Architect: Hewitt Architects
General Contractor: Venture
Structural Engineer: KPFF
Landscape Architect: Hewitt Landscape Architects
Energy and Sustainability: Rushing
DESIGNER PROFILE:
Founded in Seattle in 1975, Hewitt Architecture engages in design as a mode of inquiry, where each project is an exploration that questions and reshapes conventional expectations. Over decades, the firm has developed a nuanced and evolving dialogue with the urban environment, reflecting the resilience and adaptability required of cities. The work is distributed across three studios—architecture, landscape architecture, and transportation architecture—allowing the practice to address urban form at multiple scales. From master plans that frame a city’s future to precise details that define the experience of the every day, Hewitt’s work mediates between the macro and the intimate, shaping both the skyline and the street. The architecture studio, under the leadership of Senior Principal and Director of Design, Julia Nagele, alongside Principal and Director of Practice, Sean Ludviksen, approaches design as a continuous process of discovery. At the core of their methodology is a focus on human-centered, functional outcomes, rooted in collaboration and the diverse expertise of their team. Agile, interdisciplinary project teams enable the firm to engage with the complexities of design and construction at a deeply personal level, ensuring the principals remain intimately involved in all phases of a project. Julia Nagele’s dual role as an architect and educator—she also serves as an Affiliate Assistant Professor at the University of Washington—brings an academic rigor that challenges and informs the studio’s practice. The cross-cultural perspective Hewitt has developed through working with partners in North America, Europe, and Asia further enriches this approach, opening the work to broader contexts and opportunities. The work of Hewitt Architecture is continually evolving, with projects featured in Dezeen, Architect’s Newspaper, Forbes, and Dwell. Julia herself has been recognized as one of Seattle’s most influential figures by Seattle Met magazine, a testament to the studio's influence on the city's built environment.
The 8th Annual GRAY Awards is sponsored by:
