The Seattle Aquarium’s Ocean Pavilion is the crown jewel of the larger Seattle waterfront rejuvenation, redefining the Seattle urban experience and helping connect the city in all new ways.
The feature element of the building’s façade is an exterior wood screen that encompasses the entire west side. Facing the Salish Sea, it is expected to be resilient to all that the Pacific Northwest elements have to offer, from Seattle’s well chronicled rain to the beating summer sun. LMN Architects specified the use of Alaskan Yellow Cedar, which is known for its natural rot resistance, longevity, and UV resilience.
Given the Seattle Aquarium’s value of incorporating Indigenous ecological knowledge into the design, program, art and materials, the Aquarium and LMN asked Turner Construction to find an Indigenous-owned FSC-certified source.
The same requests applied to wooden benches located on the Ocean Pavilion’s roof, which functions as an urban park. It is open to the public, connecting the city’s waterfront with the iconic Pike Place Market by way of the new Overlook Walk.
After significant effort to find suppliers that met LMN and the Aquarium’s criteria, Turner Construction’s Self Perform Operations team connected with Taan Forest, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Haida Enterprise Corporation (Haida Nation) located just across the border in Skidegate, BC, which was able to provide 100% FSC-certified Alaskan Yellow Cedar.
By working with Taan Forest, the Seattle Aquarium’s Ocean Pavilion was able to showcase the exceptional management practices of Indigenous communities while also adhering to FSC’s globally recognized standard. This dual approach ensured that the project was able to maintain the integrity of our forest lands, support Indigenous economies, and promote sustainable/climate smart practices on a large scale.
The project has achieved LEED Gold and is targeting ILFI Zero Carbon Certification.
