Architecture firm Brooks + Scarpa just completed construction on the new Angle Lake Transit Station and Plaza at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. The building’s design was inspired by dance, and the architects wrapped the structure an undulating transparent envelope that mimics the motion of the human body.
The team drew inspiration from an improvisational dance piece by famous contemporary dance choreographer William Forsythe. The architects described the piece as a place where, “dancers connect their bodies by matching lines in space that could be bent, tossed or otherwise distorted.” Thanks to the use of ruled surface geometry and straight aluminum elements, the architects were able to achieve complex curved forms that look like a long-exposure portrait of a dancer.
Related: Brooks + Scarpa completes forest-like kinetic sculpture ringed with rain gardens
The seven-acre 400,000 square foot mixed-use complex features a seven-story cast-in-place and post-tensioned concrete structure. Its exterior façade is composed of over 7,500 custom-formed blue anodized aluminum panels.
Brooks + Scarpa said they, “segmented each element into standardized sizes for the most efficient structural shape and material form, while maximizing production, fabrication and installation cost efficiency.” This made it possible to install the façade on-site in less than three weeks without using special machinery.
Lead photo by Benjamin Benschneider
