Positioned at the top of the 1201 Third tower in downtown Seattle, and occupying the 54th and 55th floors, Boston Consulting Group’s new Seattle office represents a substantial shift from their former offices. Previously quartered in a smaller, less bespoke office setting, the Seattle branch of the global management consultancy sought a more inviting and sophisticated environment in which to work. The design challenge for this 24,223-square-foot project was to create an environment that accommodates the Boston Consulting Group’s flexible approach to work space without sacrificing the incredible 300-plus-degree vistas the space has to offer.
The overall BCG Seattle office design blurs typical work-style boundaries with a heavy nod to textures and materials more often experienced in hospitality and boutique hotel lounge settings. Given that, significant thought and exploration was put into materiality and the qualities that those materials imbue.
Visitors are greeted by dramatic Ege floor coverings upon entering the elevator lobby and before moving into the adjacent reception area. Here, the space is cozy. A curved, tucked-fabric-wrapped wall panel provides a soft backing for the reception area banquette seating, while an illuminated, coved wall curves gently into the relatively low-height ceiling plane. From the reception, the custom-designed, eighteen-foot-long reception desk, reaches out toward the adjoining office and work lounge space where the volume explodes to reveal dramatic vistas of the surrounding city and Elliott Bay. The double-height volume accommodates a wide variety of traditional and non-traditional work spaces including an open work lounge, a multi-use café-style break room, and abundant meeting and focused-work spaces.
The spacious work lounge features a curved and cantilevered stair made of dark-finished steel, glass and aluminum panels, and treads made of white stone tile by Ann Sacks. The stair rests on a wood plinth which serves double duty as casual seating and ties in the Kentwood Originals wood flooring. The space is topped by a custom-designed steel and glass chandelier designed by SkB Architects and which features amber, smoky green, and blue-toned hand-blown glass shades. The mezzanine-style second floor holds several board rooms, one with a Juliette balcony overlooking the communal break room, as well as a suite of private, client meeting rooms.
The large break room is a double-height space—sixteen-foot-tall— and is marked with a subtly toned mural stretching from wall to ceiling. The mural was hand-painted on-site by a local artist on staff with the architects. The break room is separated into two areas, one composed of loose seating arrangements, and the other defined by a large, eighteen-by-fifteen-foot island and the adjoining kitchen. Flexible furniture arrangement, and folding, accordion-style doors connect the break room to the reception area, transform the area to accommodate large events and all-staff meetings.
In a nod to a bit of cheeky hospitality, a prohibition-era speakeasy bar hides behind a door made to blend in with the café casework. Vintage lighting, luxuriant bar stools and tin ceiling tiles greet anyone cool enough to be in the know.
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