Nexus is a high-rise residential building in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

, Washington, United States. The 40-story, tower has 389

condominium A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership structure whereby a building is divided into several units that are each separately owned, surrounded by common areas that are jointly owned. The term can be applied to the building or complex ...

s, retail space, and a parking garage for 316 vehicles. Nexus is located at 1200 Howell Street in the Denny Triangle neighborhood, adjacent to Interstate 5. The project, developed by Burrard Group, was announced in 2015 and began construction in early 2017. It opened in February 2020.

History

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

-based developer Burrard Group announced its intention to build a 41-story condominium tower at 1200 Howell Street, its first project in Seattle, in late 2015. The project was named "Nexus", referencing the tower's design as well as its location between

South Lake Union South Lake Union (sometimes SLU) is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, so named because it is at the southern tip of Lake Union. The official boundaries of the City of Seattle Urban Center are Denny Way on the south, beyond which is Denny ...

Downtown Seattle Downtown is the central business district of Seattle, Washington. It is fairly compact compared with other city centers on the U.S. West Coast due to its geographical situation, being hemmed in on the north and east by hills, on the west by ...

, and

Capitol Hill Capitol Hill, in addition to being a metonym for the United States Congress, is the largest historic residential neighborhood in Washington, D.C., stretching easterly in front of the United States Capitol along wide avenues. It is one of the ...

. Burrard purchased the project site, a quarter-block surface

parking lot A parking lot (American English) or car park (British English), also known as a car lot, is a cleared area intended for parking vehicles. The term usually refers to an area dedicated only for parking, with a durable or semi-durable surface ...

, for $14.95 million in May 2016. Reservations and deposits for units began selling on June 7, with buyers camping out overnight and forming long lines at the sales office. Construction was approved in December 2016, and a ceremonial

groundbreaking Groundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod, or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such ceremonies are o ...

was held on March 14, 2017. Sales for units in the building began the following week, resulting in 75 percent of units sold within the first few days. The building opened in February 2020 for the first set of new residents. A temporary

certificate of occupancy Certificate may refer to: * Birth certificate * Marriage certificate * Death certificate * Gift certificate * Certificate of authenticity, a document or seal certifying the authenticity of something * Certificate of deposit, or CD, a financial pro ...

was issued by the city government in January 2020, with the remaining work later delayed by the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

and a statewide construction stoppage. Burrard filed a court complaint against Skanska and its subcontractors for late delivery of the project, valued at $4.7 million, as well as unresolved change orders and water damage during construction. Skanska filed suit against Burrard Group's 1200 Howell Street LLC for $20 million in damages and were awarded $19.2 million by a King County Superior Court jury in March 2022, pending a further ruling by the trial judge.

Design

Nexus's design consists of a series of stacked boxes that are rotated in 8-degree offsets to create a "twisted" look. The tower, designed by

Weber Thompson Weber Thompson is an architecture firm based in Seattle, Washington, United States. The firm employs over 70 architects and primarily focuses on high-rise buildings, interior design, and landscape architecture, also specializing in commercial of ...

, uses the areas under the boxes for open-air

terrace Terrace may refer to: Landforms and construction * Fluvial terrace, a natural, flat surface that borders and lies above the floodplain of a stream or river * Terrace, a street suffix * Terrace, the portion of a lot between the public sidewalk a ...

s, as well as amenity spaces. Some corners of the tower are "eroded" and form two-story penthouse units that are located throughout the building. The rooftop has a lounge and view terrace for residents, as well as a private bar and restaurant. The tower also includes retail space in its

podium A podium (plural podiums or podia) is a platform used to raise something to a short distance above its surroundings. It derives from the Greek ''πόδι'' (foot). In architecture a building can rest on a large podium. Podiums can also be used ...

, as well as twelve stories of parking in below- and above-ground garages.

References

Residential skyscrapers in Seattle Residential buildings completed in 2020 2020 establishments in Washington (state) {{Washington-struct-stub