citizenM Seattle

The 7 storey building is positioned on the corner of John Street facing Denny park and Westlake avenue that runs all the way towards lake Union. The area is home to the headquarters of Microsoft and Amazon and characterised by the iconic Space needle. With this citizenM we go back to the future, inspired by the neighbourhood the boundaries between analogue and digital blur.

The concept design of the architecture and interior is designed by concrete and executed by the Seattle team of Gensler. All 264 rooms are prefabricated modular units stacked on top of each other creating a building with a series of large bedroom windows which are typical for the architecture of citizenM.

The public areas of the hotel are at ground floor. Large store front windows create transparency and connect the vibrant public space of citizenM with the street. The entrance is at the corner of the building, the recessed façade creates a covered entrance and smooth transition between the hotel and the street.

The public spaces are high and have an active street front. To enlarge the interaction with the street life, the living rooms & meeting spaces are focussed outwards, and placed along the façade, which is open and transparent on three sides of the building with floor to ceiling windows. The entrance of the hotel is highlighted by a large façade art that wraps around the corner; by local artist Jeffrey Veregge. The pavement is pulled into the entrance area to smoothen the transition.

The bar and bottle rack are highlighted with a skylight in the middle of the building, bringing daylight in and making the bar the centrepiece of this citizenM creating liveliness and buzz. The bakery is located behind the bar.

Design: concrete and Gensler
Photography: Richard Powers