New office tower in downtown Seattle will save historic neighbors

Zimmer Gunsul Frasca of Portland, Ore, has been selected to design the Fifth and Columbia office tower in the heart of Seattle's financial district. Developed by Daniels Development, the 43-story, 760,000-sf tower will be the city's fifth-tallest building and the tallest constructed since 1990. The new building will be limited to a quarter-block footprint, which will permit the preservation of public space and two historic structures in the block: the First United Methodist Church sanctuary and the 1904 Rainier Club, a registered historic landmark. The $300 million tower is being designed to pursue LEED Gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council and has already won the approval of the city's downtown design review board.