West Canal Yards redevelopment turns fish processing facilities into a commercial-cultural hub
West Canal Yards was formerly a vital hub in Seattle’s fishing industry, comprised of two buildings: a long-running fish processing facility including a 30,000-sf freezer. These hard-working structures now form the foundation of this adaptive reuse project along Seattle’s Ship Canal.
Adaptive Reuse Along Seattle’s Ship Canal Transforms Industrial Buildings into West Canal Yards
With its robust volumes, ample parking, and nearly 1,000 feet of wharf frontage, the site presented a rare opportunity to reactivate a maritime-industrial edge of the city.
The design strategy involved transforming the freezer building’s tilt-up concrete structure by surgically removing panels and replacing them with large expanses of glass and metal paneling to bring light, ventilation, and views into the interior.
Inside, new mezzanine floors constructed from steel and mass timber insert a second level into the 22-foot-tall volume. A central "zipper" of skylights and glass cuts through the building, bringing daylight deep into the core.
The result is a flexible, tenant layout—tailored for makers, marine-related users, and public-facing businesses.
Graham Baba Architects Designs West Canal Yards in Seattle, Wash.
The work reflects not only an architectural transformation but also the reimagining of a neighborhood. Graham Baba Architects led the early ideation, identifying the distinct slice of neighborhood between Ballard and Queen Anne as “West Canal” and helping the client envision how to activate a site and anchor it with these “Yards”.
The project balances immediate reuse with long-term redevelopment flexibility, navigating a complex overlay of shoreline and marine-industrial zoning. It is a first move in a multi-decade reinvention—more than adaptive reuse of buildings, it is an adaptive reuse of place.
On the Building Team
Architect: Graham Baba Architects
Structural engineer: Swenson Say Faget
Mechanical engineer: Ecotope
Electrical engineer: Case Engineering
Civil engineer: KPFF
Geotechnical engineer: Aspect
Landscape architect: Hewitt, JETT Landscape Architecture & Design
Lighting: Rushing, Case
Acoustical engineer: A3 Acoustics
