On November 21st, 2019, Steven Holl Architects presented the concept design and masterplan for five buildings to define Quincy Jones Square in Bremerton, WA, Steven Holl's hometown. The concept is guided by five points:
Urbanism: To emphasize the entrance to Quincy Jones Square, two buildings are carved with two-story open porticos of public space. All five buildings, totaling 152,000 square feet in area, reinforce the urban morphology. At the core of Bremerton, this space of pedestrian quality with living areas above street level commercial space is an ideal example of a living and working community for the 21st century.
Scale: We propose an economical construction of wood over one-story of concrete, setting a height limit of 65 feet by code. This scale provides ideal sunlight and human scale to the whole urban ensemble.
Ecology: Ecologically, we aim for geothermal heating and cooling via radiant floors – green roofs and ecological building materials will make the project a green example.
Form, Color & Proportion: Our chromatic concept relates to Quincy Jones’s musical chromaticism in colors enhancing the basic orthogonal forms. Golden section proportions of 1:1.68 give an overall order to the five buildings. The work force housing, located in two buildings that frame an “alley of light,” features smaller apartments carved for natural light and green balconies.
Campanile: A vertical iconic marker of Quincy Jones Square is the tri-tower campanile observatory, whose shape marks the three main views: 1) Olympic Mountains 2) Mount Rainier and 3) Seattle. We imagine this to be a destination bar and café with an orientation point museum at its existing building base.
As a gift to the city of Bremerton, where Steven Holl was born in 1947, we aim to make this an inspiring destination an economic success. It is an example of urban excellence for the 21st century.