northwest studio
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Olympus Press, 2025
Northwest Studio lead the development of a King County Civic Campus Plan. That plan, published under the title “King County Civic Ground,” provides the public and county leaders with a new, civic-focused, direction for county government buildings and public spaces to serve King County staff, residents, and visitors over the next 50 years.
World Architecture Festival Finalist (2025)
UDAD Gold Award (2025)
WAN Awards Gold (2024)
IDA Gold Award (2024)
Preface
King County government is tasked with providing high-quality services and protecting the places that make this region special. While local governments operate at a smaller and more low-profile scale than the state and federal levels, elected leaders at King County see no higher calling than ensuring quality services that make everyday life better for its residents. From human services and the health of the community to running buses, treating wastewater, and creating housing for people of all incomes, King County government is entrusted with serving the public and–over the long haul–making sure that things the government touches are left in a better state for future generations. And while there are data dashboards and studies that validate this work, the impact left is often intangibly a part of people’s lives.
But at this moment, King County employees find themselves working to maintain high levels of service in buildings that no longer adequately support their work. The county operates a historic courthouse that is more than a century old and in desperate need of rehabilitation, a small historic office building from the early 1900s that needs revitalization, a 1960s office building (now shuttered and vacant following the pandemic), a parking garage, two vacant lots, and an obsolete jail that needs to be replaced very soon. King County’s Civic Campus Initiative planning process is focused on creating a high-level strategic plan for the development of new, contemporary facilities for county employees and services.
The county government’s current home base is spread out across eight blocks in the urban core that constitute some of the most desirable real estate in the region, but the area is stagnant. This historic area, nestled between Pioneer Square, the Chinatown International District, the Central Business District, SODO, and Yesler Terrace, can remain the center of our local government, but it can also be so much more.
In a post-Covid environment, with dramatic changes to centers of commerce led largely by remote and hybrid work, policy makers and the public are pondering the purpose of major metropolitan environments in the United States and beyond. What can a city provide for the public? What opportunities do policymakers have to 19
revitalize and reinvigorate downtown urban centers? As stewards of the county’s resources, the county government has committed to the people it serves to do something better, to shape a future that serves the people who will call this place home for decades to come.
From a neighborhood composed entirely of government offices, this area can be transformed into a 24-hour neighborhood with capacity to include housing for people of all incomes and backgrounds. It can offer gathering spaces, retail, restaurants, the corner store, and offices that reflect the realities of working today. And most importantly, it must connect with transit, not as an afterthought, but as an integral part of the planning of a holistic environment. This place can become a center that enlivens and connects the surrounding neighborhoods, that invites people to join in, and exemplifies the best of what a city — and a true global metropolitan region — can offer. This is a huge undertaking which will require years of planning and execution. But it will be a worthy transformation in one of largest metropolitan regions on the west coast.
King County is engaging community members, city leaders, designers, and development professionals to collectively think through some of the key points of this transformation. Does the courthouse remain the ceremonial seat of county government, and together with City Hall Park anchor this new and vibrant neighborhood? Does the county invest in an obsolete jail or work towards a human-dignity focused in-custody facility? Does Sound Transit, the regional high-capacity transit agency, locate a future light rail station within this potential new district? How do we make sure that county land is used for public purposes while also fostering a mixed-use neighborhood? These are pivotal questions that have been—and will continue to be—informed by dialogue and conversation with King County employees and the surrounding communities.
Through this work, the county can begin to understand how various priorities and parallel efforts can be incorporated into a comprehensive vision for new county facilities and a new and vibrant community in the seat of county government. This is the work that must be done to steward this land for the next generation.