Totem Lake
Mixed-Use
496,600 SF
339 Residential Units
127,400 SF
Completed 2021
Architecture
Quarterra
The Bower is a six-story mixed-use building designed to serve the expanding Totem Lake neighborhood, creating a residential community of high-quality enduring design and increased density. Our goal was to activate a corner site along an arterial street and spur pedestrian traffic with new retail shops on the ground level. We also aimed to connect residents to Totem Lake Transit Center, Evergreen Hospital, and to the new retail village to the south.
Our building is at the intersection of a major transit hub and a thriving urban center. This movement and energy influenced the building’s form and exterior material palette, giving the sense that The Bower is actually two buildings. The West half is designed with enlarged swaths of material surface, responding to drivers on the highway who get a quick view of the building as they zip by. The East half has facades that are broken up in a rhythmic pattern, meant to be appreciated at the neighborhood scale.
The Bower completes the urban fabric of the street, and brings the corner site to life for different users—medical, retail, transit, and pedestrian. It reconciles the varied user activity through a public plaza dotted with sculptures. The building’s design seamlessly blends into the community, offering an engaging experience for street-level occupants, while also providing buffers and security for building residents.
Program: Six-story mixed-use building, parking, retail. Residential amenities include two podium-level courtyards, an outdoor roof deck with bocce court, lounge rooms, gaming and fitness rooms, state-of-the-art work areas.
