This mixed-use project in Bellevue is on its way to adding to the growing downtown skyline. Comprised of two towers, this project encompasses a five star hotel/condo and a residential tower above a retail podium. The site itself is wedged midblock in the center of the downtown area forming an L opposite a successful shopping district. This presented an interesting opportunity to create a place that currently does not exist in Bellevue. A smaller, procured, urban, pedestrian environment.

We focused on the masterplan, and retail districting, the podium and story. All successful projects need a story. We knew that we needed to create something different, a counterpoint to the mall. We focused on a fresh approach to the urban landscape of Bellevue where the streetscape experience takes precedents over the car, creating opportunities to shop, to meet friends, to amble, and to call home. We crafted a compelling story that we took to ICSC garnering interest in the project and from there we continued to refine it.

This is the story which we created and is currently being built.

“The Avenue brings a grounded sense of authenticity from the modern, natural materials used on the interior and exterior, to the farm fresh produce sold in the stores and restaurants, to the artisan-quality and best-in-brand retail. The crescent paved main street is lined with Cherry trees, artisanal benches and bollards, drawing the guest from the street lined retail into the dynamic heart of the project. The hub with a bridge to the north and Tivoli lights hung above the canopies, knits the hotel lobby with its inviting bar and cafe to the offerings of the gourmet grocery on the western side of the street. The north end of the site is anchored by a large outdoor fireplace surrounded by restaurants and bars that spill out onto the plaza on the ground level. On the second level, in a cantilevered jewel-box space, a chef-driven restaurant seemingly floats above the plaza, offering locally inspired menus infused with produce directly from a roof-top garden.

The Avenue is a lifestyle choice bringing a fresh approach of an authentic, modern northwest environment with a distinctive personality bridging between modern aesthetics, nature, culture and people.”

*Work completed in collaboration with B+H