Yesler Mass-Timber Hotel
Seattle, Washington
Location
Stay + Gather
Project type
Architect,
Master Planning
+ Programming
Role
The Yesler Mass-Timber Hotel is a forward-looking hospitality concept located on Yesler Way, just south of Harborview Medical Center, with sweeping views of Mount Rainier and the International District. The project explores the intersection of urban constraints, sustainable construction, and contemporary hotel design within a dense and highly regulated context.
Challenge
The site presented a complex set of conditions, including steep topography, zoning limitations along Yesler Way, and strict FAA height and massing restrictions tied to an adjacent helipad flight path. The challenge was to accommodate a full-service hotel program—while meeting brand room-size standards—without compromising access, functionality, or architectural clarity.
Solution
We organized the building with a two-story concrete podium that establishes a strong urban base and accommodates a porte-cochère on the uphill side of the site, accessed from Yesler Way at the second floor in response to zoning constraints. Above the podium, nine floors of mass-timber construction house approximately 180 guest rooms, combining efficiency with warmth and sustainability. The hotel’s massing is carefully stepped and modulated to comply with FAA flight-path restrictions, resulting in a dynamic form that responds directly to its regulatory environment. A rooftop event space crowns the building, taking full advantage of the site’s panoramic views.
Materials + Craft
The contrast between a durable concrete podium and the warmth of exposed mass-timber structure above defines the building’s architectural character. The timber superstructure offers both environmental benefits and a refined guest experience, while the carefully articulated massing expresses the technical precision required by the site. The result is a contemporary urban hotel that balances performance, sustainability, and place—an adaptive response to one of Seattle’s most challenging development contexts.
