The Beach at Elliott Bay

Coastal parks and nearshore restoration are key in Washington State, requiring holistic, forward-thinking design strategies. Addressing ecological degradation, sea level rise, and stormwater runoff, the design team for The Beach at Elliott Bay restored a publicly accessible, 40-acre waterfront site and corporate campus north of downtown Seattle. Soil remediation and stormwater management revitalize the site, creating an equitable, active landscape rooted in social and ecological resilience offering new bike paths and a multi-use trail system. With views of Puget Sound and Mount Rainier, the project demonstrates a systems-based approach to sustainability, prioritizing social, ecological, economic, and cultural well-being.

The Beach at Elliott Bay, located a mile north of downtown Seattle on a 40-acre waterfront site, was transformed from an under-used biotech campus and post-industrial site into a vibrant, lush, and sophisticated publicly accessible park with improved connectivity to trails for running and biking. Located at the site of a tech company’s international headquarters, the design team was tasked with envisioning a campus that provided workers with meaningful connectivity to nature to enhance their daily life. Given the site’s proximity to the waterfront, the team needed to configure a strategy responding to both human and climate needs for the near and far term.

The designers collaborated with the client to re-aggregate public easements, creating a consolidated park and trail system along the Puget Sound for the public. A new terraced overlook and a richly planted dune habitat softens the edge of the water and provides new universally accessible space at the edge of Elliott Bay. A separated system of bike and pedestrian paths weave through the landscape that is rich with native plants and trees, allowing habitat for pollinators and birds, and aligning with the Salmon Safe certification program requirements.

Material reclamation and adaptive reuse were core principles of the design process. The existing site had a series of formal landscape spaces that featured stone paving and monolithic stone elements. The reclaimed stone was stockpiled and reimagined for the new campus, including informal stone groupings nestled into the dune planting on the Beach. Inspired by the driftwood that washes onto the shores of Washington beaches, knotty spruce “boom sticks” from a decommissioned timber operation in Port Angeles were brought to the site and nestled into the planting and gravel dunes. The reclaimed stone boulders and driftwood break up the planting while also functioning as informal seating and play areas. 

Soil management was a critical focus for the design, contributing to the success of the landscape and underscoring the long-term maintenance plan for the project focused on cultivating a low-maintenance and low-input landscape. A comprehensive assessment of the mostly paved, disturbed site was conducted at project onset. Harvested soil, tested for ecological benefits and long-term landscape health, was used to inoculate compost and base loam for the eight custom blends that correlated with the site’s planting communities. Soil scientists tested and monitored the soil after installation, informing the formulation of compost tea blends used to seasonally inoculate the soil and plants, stimulating biological activity and resilience without chemical fertilizers.

Beyond the client’s goals of creating a biophilic, experience-based landscape, employees and users have free reign to engage with a variety of outdoor rooms. From a park amphitheater to a contemplative garden or a cascading water feature, each space is connected by multiple path circuits, encouraging walking meetings—promoting a healthier workplace connected to the broader urban and ecological context of the Puget Sound.

The Beach invites users to pause at the edge of Elliott Bay. Celebrating the land-water threshold with views of the larger regional landscape, reclaimed materials and vibrant native plantings highlight the sculpted topography of the site. The expansive site is a place to celebrate and reinforce a sense of place while defining a new landscape approach centered on stewardship.

• James A. Lord, FASLA - Partner, Surfacedesign, Inc.
• Roderick Wyllie, FASLA - Partner, Surfacedesign, Inc.
• Michal Kapitulnik, ASLA - Principal, Surfacedesign, Inc.
• Tim Kirby, ASLA - Principal, Surfacedesign, Inc.
• Junyi Li - Associate, Surfacedesign, Inc.
• Matt Bombard - Associate, Surfacedesign, Inc.
• Blythe Price - Associate, Surfacedesign, Inc.
• Tyler Mohr - Associate, Surfacedesign, Inc.
• Heath House - Associate Surfacedesign, Inc.
• ZGF Architects - Campus Architect
• Aidling Darling Design - Prow Architect
• Teufel Landscape - Landscape Contractor
• GLY Construction - General Contractor
• F2 Environmental Design - Soils Consultant
• KPFF - Structural & Civil Engineer