[WRE UPDATE | PROJECT]
Seattle’s Rising Skyline
BY ELISE LINSCOTT
Today, the Space Needle is dwarfed not only by other high-rise buildings that have been constructed in the following decades, but also by massive tower cranes rotating back and forth as they piece together new buildings for some of the top organizations in the country. And yet, experts say that in the next 50 years, there’s a
W
30-percent chance that an earthquake with a magnitude 8.0-8.6 will hit Seattle, and a ten-percent chance that earthquake will have a magnitude of 8.7-9.2, according to an article published by the New Yorker in July 2015. Tis will also cause a tsunami to follow about 15 minutes after the earthquake hits, which will devastate the coastline but won’t reach Seattle. In the words of Kenneth Murphy, head of the regional
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) division, “Our operating assumption is that everything west of Interstate 5 will be toast,” he told the New Yorker.
hen the Space Needle was built for the World’s Fair in 1962, the 605-foot-tall building was the tallest in Seattle, looming over the city like a giant flying saucer ready to lift off and return to space.
Because Seattle sits directly on a fault zone, earthquakes pose the largest hazard to the city, according to Seattle’s city website. And, as the New Yorker article states, it isn’t a matter of if – but when – “the really big one” will hit.
Present Some of the biggest organizations in the country have made their home in Seattle, and more technology-focused companies seem to be moving in every day, rivaling the Bay Area as the new hotspot for techies. Microsoft,
Amazon.com, Starbucks, Zillow, T-Mobile, and countless other companies have made the Emerald City the site of their headquarters. Other big name companies like Google, Facebook and Twitter have offices in Seattle as well.
Amazon.com is one of the biggest employers in Seattle,
and it’s been busy buying up real estate around its campus in the city’s South Lake Union neighborhood and expanding its workforce in recent years. In 2012, the company paid Vulcan Real Estate $1.154 billion for 11 buildings, nine newly constructed and two historic renovated buildings, the Seattle Times reported. Today, one of the biggest construction projects in the city
is Amazon’s headquarters expansion project. Developed by Vulcan Real Estate, the expansion will include four new high- rise buildings in three phases. One of the four buildings, the 38-story Doppler tower, opened late last year, with the first of its employees moving into the lower part of the building in December. Te top part of the building is expected to be completed this year. Amazon’s corporate headquarters expansion project has also
been recognized for its design and sustainability. Te project was awarded “Office Development of the Year” by the NAIOP Commercial Real Estate Development Association’s Washington State chapter. “To create a visually pleasing and aesthetically diverse
campus, Vulcan engaged three different architectural firms to design the buildings,” the award brochure reads. “Te project
70 JANUARY-FEBRUARY 2016 WIRE ROPE EXCHANGE
Developers Employ Innovative Mitigation Techniques to Ensure Structure Viability
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84