7 minute read
Vertically Functional, Functionally Beautiful
from June 2025
HLB Lighting Design Transforms Seattle's Summit Building with Award-Winning Illumination
By Randy Reid
When the Seattle Convention Center set out to create its Summit Building, the vision extended far beyond simply adding more space. The goal was to redefine how a convention center could connect with its urban environment, serve its community, and reflect the character of its region.
The result is a bold vertical structure in the heart of downtown Seattle – an architectural and civic landmark that merges functionality with a profound sense of place. For HLB Lighting Design, the project, led by Associate Principal Michael Lindsey, CLD, IALD, MIES, LEED AP BD+C, presented an extraordinary opportunity to craft a lighting experience that was both technically precise and emotionally resonant. That vision was honored with a 2025 IALD Award of Merit, presented at LightFair 2025.
HLB Senior Principal and President Teal Brogden IALD, MIES, CLD, LC, played a pivotal leadership role throughout the project, helping steer the design from its earliest concept through final execution. Her guidance ensured the lighting approach remained aligned with the building’s architectural intent, and her influence was instrumental in shaping the project's success at every stage.
The design process began in 2015, and even then, HLB was joining a project already in deep development. Construction challenges and pandemic-related delays stretched the timeline considerably. Michael noted that this was the first fully vertical convention center in the country, a design decision that brought its own complexities.
Unlike traditional horizontal centers built across vast plots of land, the Summit Building stacks functionality, rising through multiple floors of meeting spaces, public areas, and circulation corridors. The lighting needed to unify these spaces and shape an experience that would feel distinctively Seattle.
Working closely with LMN Architects, whom Michael described as one of the best in the world when it comes to convention centers, HLB began exploring a lighting concept inspired by the forests of the Pacific Northwest. “The idea,” he explained, “was to filter light through the trees, through the canopy, and bring that feeling inside.”
Nowhere is that vision more fully realized than in the Summit Building’s 58,000-square-foot ballroom. With a 30-foot ceiling, the space is defined by a field of suspended, six-foot-tall wormwood elements that recall the texture and layering of a forest canopy. Lighting this architectural feature in a way that was both dramatic and subtle required a carefully coordinated approach.
Rather than rely on a single source of illumination, HLB implemented a four-layer lighting system, beginning with general ambient lighting and building upward from there. Permanently installed theatrical projectors, some embedded within the ceiling and others mounted along the room’s perimeter, added a flexible, dynamic layer. These fixtures, capable of projecting textures, colors, and patterns, allowed the design team to recreate the effect of dappled light passing through tree branches. In the right scenes, the ballroom looks as if it's lit entirely by nature, yet every moment is orchestrated by design.
The ballroom’s lighting also includes a theatrical-grade control system. Given the scale and complexity of the DMX programming – each theatrical fixture required over 40 DMX channels – Michael and his team knew they needed the most robust, flexible system available.
ETC’s infrastructure not only handled the technical requirements but gave the team creative room to program scenes that would demonstrate the room’s potential. Michael described days spent simply “letting our imagination run wild.” The end goal was a system that would be powerful enough for large-scale productions but intuitive enough for daily users.
Event producers renting the ballroom have the option to bring in their own lighting consoles and operate the system directly, or they can work with a trusted local integrator who’s deeply familiar with the setup. “That’s the big differentiator,” Michael said. “It’s a permanent system that doesn’t require clients to roll in racks of theatrical lighting. It’s already here, and it’s ready.”
The Summit Building isn’t just for conventiongoers. One of its most thoughtful features is the inclusion of public areas designed to be accessible even when the center isn’t hosting events.
One such space is known as the “mixing zone,” a welcoming area filled with retail and dining options open to the general public. Suspended above this area is a commissioned wood art installation, developed in collaboration with a local artist.
HLB’s job was to light the piece without overwhelming it. The result is a luminous form that glows from within— more chandelier than sculpture, but with a presence that’s understated and artful. Fixtures were carefully concealed and aimed to create a soft, floating effect.
Michael emphasized that mock-ups were a critical part of the design process. “You can do all the 3D modeling in the world,” he said, “but there’s no substitute for building it and seeing it in person.” To that end, the convention center rented a warehouse in Seattle where full-scale mock-ups of the ballroom canopy, the theatrical lighting system, and the Hill Climb circulation zone were assembled.
The Hill Climb, another signature space, features a vertical wood ceiling element shaped like a comb, with layers of rich timber descending above a major stair. Lighting this feature required fine-tuning to ensure that every plane and angle read clearly without introducing glare or unevenness.
Even the construction process posed unusual challenges. The Summit Building was assembled using a method Michael referred to as “railroad construction.” Instead of building floor by floor, the team constructed one vertical section from the ground up, then moved over and repeated the process.
It made energizing the lighting system more complex than usual, as certain zones came online before others. This rolling activation required HLB to be highly adaptive, coordinating site visits and system checks in lockstep with the construction schedule.
Despite the hurdles, the final product is seamless. At the 2025 IALD Awards, Michael and Teal accepted the Award of Merit with pride. “It’s a remarkable achievement,” Michael said. “But really, it belongs to the whole team— the architects, the contractors, our former designer Sam Hewitt, who poured so much passion into this project.”
In the Summit Building, lighting doesn’t simply illuminate the architecture—it becomes part of it. The interplay of shadow and material, the flexibility of control, and the responsiveness to both daytime users and theatrical needs set a new standard for convention spaces. The IALD recognition is well-earned, not because the lighting shouts for attention, but because it whispers with purpose.
LIGHTING DESIGN: HLB Lighting Design
LIGHTING DESIGNERS: Teal Brogden, Michael Lindsey, Samuel Hewett (formerly with HLB Lighting Design)
ARCHITECTS: LMN Architects
CLIENT: LMN Architects
MEP: Arup
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT: Gustafson Guthrie Nichol, Ltd.
GENERAL CONTRACTOR: Clark / Lewis
ELECTRICAL CONTRACTOR: VECA Electric
PHOTOGRAPHY: © Lauren K. Davis / feinknopf
