Seattle’s 2+U to Sport an Urban Village

Seattle-based architect Graham Baba worked with Skanska to design the retail spaces in the Urban Village.

SEATTLE—Skanska unveiled additional design details for the three-level pedestrian-focused Urban Village at 2+U, its 38-story, 686,000 square-foot class-A office tower currently under construction downtown. The developer and its design team, led by Pickard Chilton, worked with Graham Baba Architects and the Swift Company to create the Urban Village, an open-air retail experience that will serve as a public gathering space that fuses local retail, art, culture and nature.

The Urban Village spans approximately 24,000 square feet of covered, open and outdoor space under 2+U’s office tower. With five access points, including the refurbished alley off University Street and two access points from First and Second Avenues, the Urban Village also includes 16,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space, a more than 220-foot long structural GeoWall made from local soils, and approximately 1,100 square feet of arts and cultural space in the newly named Studio. With construction nearly complete at 2+U, Skanska plans to open the Urban Village to the public in late August.