Safeco Plaza – designing lighting (dl) magazine

Completed in 1969 and affectionately referred to as “the box the Space Needle came in,” the Seattle-First National Bank building was the tallest building in Seattle, and the second-tallest building west of the Mississippi River.  Designed in the International Style, the bronze-colored aluminum and glass structure was the first modern class-A office building in Seattle.  Renamed Safeco Plaza in 2007, the building was purchased in 2021 by BXP (Boston Properties).

BXP engaged a design team to reimagine, renovate, and enhance the building’s lobby and amenity spaces in a multi-phased project to reposition the building as an iconic office property and reestablish the standard for class-A office space in Seattle; all with the overriding challenge of developing a timeless solution.

Click on the article below to read more about FMS’ design approach to our award-winning Safeco Plaza project.

In designing lighting (dl) magazine:

Transforming the Box the Space Needle Came In

By Randy Reid