Alan Maskin & Blair Payson - Olson Kundig
Arguably one of the most iconic structures on the West Coast, the Space Needle defines the Seattle skyline
Sponsored by Architectural Record | Presented by Alan Maskin and Blair Payson
Arguably one of the most iconic structures on the West Coast, the Space Needle defines the Seattle skyline. When the private owners decided to embark on a major renovation, they tapped local group Olson Kundig to lead the project. This podcast invites design principal Alan Maskin, and project architect, Blair Payson to discuss their approach to the project, challenges, and the process of working closely with the City of Seattle Landmarks Preservation Board (LPB), local architecture historians and preservationists, a surviving original Space Needle structural engineer, and the community to be consistent with the original design intent and respect the character defining features of the Space Needle.
Photo courtesy of Olson Kundig.
The Century Project at the Space Needle.
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Aaron Prinz is the host of the Design:ED Podcast and holds a Masters of Architecture degree from the University of Texas at Austin. He was born and raised in the rural Northern California town of Red Bluff, just two hours south of the Oregon border. After one year of college, Prinz relocated to San Francisco to pursue a career in stand-up comedy. At age 26, he began studying architecture at Portland State University while interning at Studio Petretti Architecture led by Amanda Petretti. His professional contributions while at Studio Petretti were focused on a portion of the new Multnomah County Courthouse which is a prominent addition to the Portland skyline. He currently resides in Austin, Texas with his wife Roxanne where he continues to work as a designer. |
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Originally published in Architectural Record
Originally published in April 2024
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
- Describe the basic history of the construction of the original Space Needle.
- Explain some of the challenges Olson Kundig encountered when designing the iconic structure.
- Discuss how working with a private ownership helped enhance and expand the design opportunities in the retrofit project.
- Characterize the general attitude of the public before, during, and after the retrofit project.
