Marques Vickers

Vertical Bellevue Marques Vickers

"Vertical Bellevue: Architecture Above a Boomburb Skyline" is an architectural survey of contemporary downtown Bellevue, Washington. The second edition documents the continued expansion and growth via 200+ images covering over forty development projects. These multi-leveled structures have been photographed between 2016-2021 from a variety of perspective angles. Amazon has begun construction on three important complex developments which will shift some of their headquarter operations from downtown Seattle. These complexes include the 555 Tower, Binary Tower and West Main Triple Tower Project. The heightening of the downtown Bellevue skyline mirrors the prosperity and expansion of the community's business base. Vickers' photography isolates the aesthetic imprint of contemporary glass architecture design. An accompanying essay "Glass Curtain Architecture" traces the historical evolution and layered components of glass exterior constructions. The essay follows the evolution of high-rise structures dating from the ancient Roman era into contemporary design. Vickers traces the increased evolution of glass exteriors based on a fundamental architectural shift in structural emphasis beginning in the 20th century. Masonry based walls supporting the weight of structures were replaced by steel spined framing. The load-bearing hollow cylinders supported wall curtains that ultimately made glass panes an ideal fixture. The traditional considerations for employing glass have included economics, ease and speed of installation and weight factors. Although significantly lighter than masonry, glass high-rises have come under increasing criticism and scrutiny for issues including energy consumption, CO2 emissions, privacy, slippage and projected lifespans. Economics, engineering and construction management remain essential elements to preserving the equilibrium between beauty and practicality. In Bellevue, the sleek and gleaming reflective glass curtains reign and are anticipated to increase. Straddling Lake Washington and connected to urban Seattle by two floating bridges, Bellevue is considered an Eastside boomburb (booming suburb). Bellevue, which translates into beautiful view in French, is a 37-square mile community with a growing population of 145,000. The cornerstone development is the Lincoln Square shopping complex and its extension completed during 2017. The majority of skyscraper planning began in the 1990s upon the outgrowth of Greater Seattle regional expansion.