The opening of a dramatic new elevated park marks the near completion of Seattle’s massive Waterfront Park transformation. Overlook Walk creates a new pedestrian destination and journey between the city and the waterfront, effectively linking the historic Pike Place Market with the Seattle Aquarium, Pier 62, Waterfront Park, and Elliott Bay. The project is a major feature in the larger transformation of the central waterfront, reconnecting the city to Elliott Bay with the removal of the Alaskan Way Viaduct.
Credit: © Tim Rice, courtesy of the City of Seattle
Credit: © Field Operations
Framework Plan for Waterfront Seattle
Beginning with a comprehensive framework plan for Waterfront Seattle that kicked off in 2010, Field Operations (Urban Design Lead and Landscape Architecture) has been leading design for 1.5 miles of waterfront (26 city blocks) in partnership with Jacobs (Project Management and Structural Engineering). The expansive urban design plan considers the history of the site as a working waterfront, the physical conditions of its location along the shores of Elliott Bay, its indigenous history, and its role as part of Seattle’s evolving urban and cultural landscape. With the removal of the elevated Alaskan Way Viaduct and reconstruction of the Elliott Bay Seawall, Field Operations’ framework plan has allowed Seattle to reclaim its waterfront, utilizing infrastructure and a new public realm to create new connections between the city and Elliott Bay, with Overlook Walk being one of the most important elements.
Credit: © City of Seattle and Tim Rice, courtesy of the City of Seattle
The framework plan works at multiple scales to re-center the city with the waterfront and creates a variety of public amenities and new experiences. The plan sensitively incorporates adjacent neighborhoods, important waterfront nodes, and connections into the city while reinforcing unique waterfront conditions. In collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team of engineers, ecologists, artists and art consultants, graphic and identity designers, architects, community engagement consultants, and transportation consultants, Field Operations has worked with the City’s many stakeholders and agencies on this vision to create a new “waterfront for all.”
Credit: © Field Operations
Art on the waterfront was integral to the waterfront’s design. In 2012, an Art Plan was established that led to the following planned installations of permanent public artworks on the waterfront: Stephen Vitiello (Pier 62), MTK Matriarchs with Malynn Foster, Tamela LaClair and Kimberly Deriana (Overlook Walk Salish Plaza), Ann Hamilton (Overlook Walk Screen Wall), Shaun Peterson (Park Promenade), Norie Sato (Union Street Pedestrian Bridge), Oscar Tuazon (Promenade), Randi Purser, Tyson Simmons, and Keith Stevenson (Promenade, Carvers), and Buster Simpson (Promenade).
Overlook Walk
Located in the footprint of the former Alaskan Way Viaduct between Pike Place Market and the Seattle Aquarium, Overlook Walk creates a new elevated public park and connection between the waterfront and Seattle’s urban core. It forms a pedestrian connection that did not exist before, bridging the nearly 100 vertical foot gap between Pike Place Market and the waterfront. With expansive views of Elliott Bay, play areas, new public plazas, and lushly planted gardens, Overlook Walk is a new iconic landmark for Seattle.
Credit: © Tim Rice, courtesy of the City of Seattle
Descending from Pike Place Market, Overlook Walk features 360-degree views of downtown Seattle, Lumen Field, T-Mobile Park, Elliott Bay, the Olympic Mountains on the western horizon, and Mount Rainier to the south. Visitors and residents can now enjoy ample seating options to rest and enjoy the views, and a new concessionaire space is anticipated to open by late 2025. The new landform envelops the new Seattle Aquarium Ocean Pavilion, to create a rooftop garden with amazing views and vistas all around. The dramatic Salish Steps descend to provide a sheltered amphitheater looking out across to Pier 62 and Elliott Bay, anticipating performances and events to further activate the waterfront.
Credit: © Lara Swimmer/Esto
The project was led by the City of Seattle’s Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects, with Field Operations leading design. Primary collaborators include Jacobs Engineering (Project Management and Structural Engineering) the Miller Hull Partnership (Architecture for the Café Pavilion), MKA (Civil and Structural Engineering), Land Morphology (Local Planting Consultant), Dark Light (Lighting Design), Studio Matthews (Signage and Wayfinding), Ann Hamilton & MTK Matriarchs (Art), and a number of additional subconsultants.
Credit: © Field Operations
Seattle Aquarium’s Ocean Pavilion
In 2018, the Office of the Waterfront and Civic Projects and other City departments partnered with the Seattle Aquarium to connect the Overlook Walk project into the rooftop of a new aquarium expansion building, the Seattle Aquarium Ocean Pavilion, designed by LMN Architects (Prime, Architecture). Field Operations collaborated with LMN Architects and three contractors to create a cohesive and integrated project with Overlook Walk, designing a publicly accessible rooftop park. The planting on the Seattle Aquarium Ocean Pavilion roof was designed in collaboration with Valerie Segrest (Tribal Storytelling & Planting Consultant) to create a native planting palette that speaks to traditional food forests in the Puget Sound area.
Credit: © Lara Swimmer/Esto
Other members of the Seattle Aquarium’s Ocean Pavilion design team include PAE (Lighting Design) and Studio Matthews (Signage and Wayfinding).
Credit: © Lara Swimmer/Esto
Waterfront Park
The construction of the waterfront has taken place over many years, starting with the opening of the Elliott Bay Seawall Project in 2017, which included the Pioneer Square Habitat Beach with a salmon migration corridor and other marine habitat improvements, Pier 62 in 2020, portions of the Promenade and Elliott Way streets in 2021, Union Street Pedestrian Bridge in 2022, and Railroad Way and the Marion Street Pedestrian Bridge in 2023.
Credit: © Lara Swimmer/Esto
Credit: © Lara Swimmer/Esto
Following the opening of Overlook Walk and the Seattle Aquarium Ocean Pavilion in 2024, the Park Promenade, Pier 58, and improvements to key east-west connections from Waterfront Park into downtown Seattle—including the historic district of Pioneer Square, Pike and Pine Streets in the heart of downtown, and Bell Street in Belltown—will be the final phases of the waterfront to open to the public with an anticipated overall completion in spring 2025.
Credit: © Lara Swimmer/Esto
Landscape Architect: Field Operations
