Port of Seattle Awards Concourse C Facility Expansion at SEA Airport to Miller Hull and Woods Bagot

Feb. 11, 2021

The Port of Seattle has hired The Miller Hull Partnership, LLP and Woods Bagot as joint project design leaders to create a dynamic, performative, and sustainable facility expansion within Concourse C at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). This collaboration between Woods Bagot, a global firm with a world-class aviation portfolio, and Miller Hull, an internationally recognized architecture firm rooted in the Pacific Northwest and known for sustainable design, will significantly elevate the customer experience at SEA.

The last decade has seen rapid passenger growth, which the 110,000-square-foot, $340 million expansion (currently referred to as the C1 building) will be designed to accommodate. Supported by a diverse team of local experts, Miller Hull and Woods Bagot are creating an amazing destination retail experience using a rich array of local shopping and dining options. The projected completion date is 2027.

Diversity, performance, sense of place and sustainability are the driving design principles.

The Port and the design team are committed to advancing equity and addressing contracting disparities by increasing the participation of Women and Minority Business Enterprises (WMBE) and other disadvantaged firms. The design team is drawing upon a diverse pool of local talent to the aspirational goal of 15 percent WMBE for the design procurements.

The birthplace of Jimi Hendrix and home of Kurt Cobain, Seattle is known for its groove. The musical experience will begin right here, where live music will be performed on a new stage at the heart of the concourse. The performative nature of the concourse will be amplified by outstanding environmental and commercial goals.

Passengers arriving or departing at Concourse C will have no doubt as to where they are. Through an interplay of local materials, references to nature, and events, the expansion will express the natural beauty of the Pacific Northwest, its lively culture, its eating and drinking scene, and its vibrant economy. The retail market will draw inspiration from Seattle’s beloved Pike Place Market, with live performances celebrating the city’s musical culture.

Sustainability is at the heart of SEA Airport’s agenda for the future. The expansion along Concourse C is the first project to implement the port’s new Sustainable Project Framework. Targeting LEED Silver certification, the framework supports early integration of sustainability in capital projects with a view to meeting the Century Agenda goals. Miller Hull, the architect of the Living Building Certified Bullitt Center, and Woods Bagot, who led the design of all the airside passenger facing environments at SFO Harvey Milk Terminal 1, which will achieve LEED Gold, have proven experience in reducing operational and embodied carbon and water, and introducing biophilia to create buildings that improve the health of people and of the planet.

Located between Concourses C and D, the project will:

  • Add four additional floors at approximately 27,000 square feet each
  • Bring natural daylight and multi-level dining and retail
  • Build new restrooms, vertical circulation, and seating