The Thornton Place site included multiple projects under construction in the same timeframe: WALSH’s scope included the 850-car parking garage, 109 units of condominiums; 279 apartment units situated adjacent to, and on top of, the garage; and 50,000 SF of retail space (with building utilities) which occupies the ground level of the residential buildings. Seattle Public Utilities contracted with us to daylight Thornton Creek and create the Thornton Creek Water Quality Channel.
Sustainability Notes
As part of the Thornton Place mixed-use project, WALSH completed the Thornton Creek Water Quality Channel, which helps clean stormwater from roads, buildings and parking lots before it reaches the Creek on the east side of 5th Avenue NE. The natural drainage system used in the Thornton Creek Water Quality Channel cleans stormwater by diverting it from the pipe to a series of surface swale biofiltration ponds that use special soils and native plants to capture, slowly filter, biologically degrade and process pollutants. The pipe remains in place to accommodate excess storm flows.
Thornton Place achieved certification in LEED NC Silver and LEED Silver for Neighborhood Development.
Related Work
Thornton Place & Thornton Creek Water Quality Channel
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Some 67,000 people live within the borders of the Thornton Creek Watershed.The Thornton Creek Water Quality Channel transformed the area from a parking lot into a unique public park; work included replacing the asphalt with a waterway and paths that give pedestrians access to Thornton Place housing, local retail stores, and services. The public space includes pathways, decorative lighting, public art, and a community gathering place. Scope involved excavation of 75,000 cubic yards of old fill on the 2.7-acre site. Both sides of the channel are lined with mechanically stabilized earth walls. The completed project fulfilled the wish of neighbors who awaited the return of the waterway since the 1960s, when it was diverted to a pipeline and buried during construction of I-5.