Tukwila INTERnATIONAL BOULEVARD station

Location

3651 Southcenter Blvd, Tukwila, WA

TYPOLOGY

Light Rail Station

Client

Sound Transit

Status

Completed

TRANSPORTATION CENTER

The Tukwila/International Boulevard Station serves as a multimodal transportation center including light rail and bus transit services. The sloping site informed the design of an elevated station structure suspended over a pedestrian plaza. Two elevated side platforms for light rail and a mezzanine with ticket vending machines and rider information are sheltered under an angular roof that resembles uplifted wings. At the platform level, large glass curtain walls provide expansive views of Tukwila, Mount Baker, and the SeaTac Airport control tower. This early addition to Sound Transit’s light rail system helped to inform and create an identity for future stations within the Seattle area’s light rail system.

Artwork

Art is an integral part of the station design by creating a colorful and vibrant space at the entrances. The station houses four installations: three works by sculptor Tad Savinar: A Drop of Sustenance; A Molecule of the Region; and Voices of Tukwila – and one by Clark Wiegman: Soundings.

REGIONAL HUB

HEWITT provided architecture, urban design, and landscape architecture services for the station. Coordination with with the cities of SeaTac and Tukwila, WSDOT, and Sound Transit regarding bus, auto, and pedestrian circulation systems was critical for commuter safety and convenience. The Tukwila Light Rail Station is a regional transit hub that provides improved bus access, bike storage, and pedestrian connections to the city’s sidewalks. This station provides Tukwila with much needed and fast access to the surrounding region.