Lighting Design: WATT, Jason Neches Principal & Senior Lighting Designer
Landscape Architect: Walker Macy
Owner: Seattle Parks & Recreation
Size: 5.2 acre park, with portions spanning over Interstate 5 and adjacent parking garage. WATT scope includes all exterior site/landscape lighting and new restroom buildings.
Target Completion: TBD, currently under design
Freeway Park is an iconic work of landscape architecture by Lawrence Halprin & Associates that spans over Interstate 5. Opened in 1976, Freeway Park was the first to “lid” over an active interstate highway, stitching together vibrant neighborhoods with the downtown business district and repairing an unfortunate cleave due to the highway’s construction.
The first few decades in the park were a resounding success. The landscape matured and residents took advantage of precious park space and convenient pedestrian connections to downtown.
Recent decades has seen the park landscape become overgrown, deterioration in park infrastructure, an increase in homeless and a decline in pedestrian activity.
The goal of this renovation is to make the park more welcoming, bring people back to active use, restore its role as a centerpiece of Seattle’s park system, and celebrate / preserve this iconic work of landscape architecture for future generations.
Lighting improvements for this project aim to enhance the park experience at night, improve wayfinding, and improve perception of safety and comfort at night.