Filament East & West

Bellevue, Washington

Connecting the Past to the Future

Filament connects the past and the future in a dynamic juxtaposition that adds to the rich, urban fabric of Bellevue.
Vulcan’s first residential project in downtown Bellevue seeks to deliver something
with swagger, attitude and a little edge.

  • Neighborhood

    Downtown Bellevue

  • Type

    Mixed-Use

  • Size

    East: 216,500 SF / 151 Residential Units
    West: 220,300 SF / 151 Residential Units

  • Status

    In Design

  • Services

    Architecture

  • Client

    Vulcan Real Estate

An urban face and a quiet oasis

Since the sites are surrounded by many high-rise buildings, we created a two-faced donut urban form, creating a clear distinction between city-facing “urban” units and a quieter oasis in the center. There is a consistent language around the three street-facing facades of the two projects. The alignment of the fourth level courtyard across both buildings maximizes the openness of the center courtyard. The brick volume along NE 2nd Street unites the projects along the shared façade. The top-level amenity roof top corresponds volumetrically across the alley. With the West Main Offices Towers to the south, the project steps back at the upper level allowing for unit patios on this southern exposure. The building on the north side responds to the current building by setting back from their property. The proposed design is respectful of the current adjacencies and sets the tone for future developments in the surrounding areas.

Art on display

Art plays an important part in the public realm. Both Filament East and West will have a large sculpture prominently displayed at the corners. Two murals will also be part of the facade along 105th Ave NE. On Filament East, a large gallery window within the set back wall will provide pedestrian viewing of rotating art installations, thus making the building more engaging and memorable. The installation is protected beneath the overhead weather protection so pedestrians can stay dry while they enjoy the art.

Focusing on materiality to unify and reduce mass

The rich varied exterior material palette of brick, vertical metal panel, standing seam metal shingle, aluminum “wood look” lap siding, and fiber cement panel help to reinforce the massing concept. The brick unifies the two projects at the pedestrian level while above the base the elevation faces are broken up into three volumes that will have different cladding materials to add visual interest to the project. The language of the north and south masses will be a regular window pattern with an infill material at the corners. The middle volume will serve as the calm material with a playful infill material. These large moves with the material variety bring the scale of the elevations down in perception to a human scale.

Program: Multi-family apartments with retail. Amenities include fitness, bike storage and repair, level 3 courtyard, and upper level club room with roof deck, and amenities shared across the projects include co-working with work pods, jam room, and game lounge.