Seneca Condominiums

The Seneca Condominium, nicknamed Luma, is a modern 240 foot tall high-rise building between Pike Pine and First Hill neighborhoods in Downtown Seattle.

Seneca Condominiums Project Details:

The building consists of five levels of parking below the ground level. A real head turner, Luma brings a new era of design to First Hill, Seattle’s first residential neighborhood. Designed to be a landmark of its time, Luma’s glass tower and terra cotta base create a presence and personality all its own, much like the diverse community at its front door. The building features underground secure access parking, a beautiful club room on the 24th floor with expansive views, roof top sun decks, dipping pool / hot tub, indoor dog run and dog bath, gym, library and outdoor roof-top patio with bbq grills. Luma was the first condominium tower to be built in the First Hill neighborhood since 1982. The building houses 168 residential condominiums.

Seneca Condominiums Project Highlights & Challenges:

This project structural design included 7’-0” thick trapezoidal foundation with heavy reinforcements and a ramped structure from foundation to level 01. The 7’-0” thick trapezoidal foundation & 6 levels of the ramp structure proved to be complex, as the height of the wall around the underground parking structure varies in accordance with the top of the ramp slab. We were required to use form savers for the connection between shear wall and ramp structures to efficiently address the challenge of joining reinforcements in segmental construction while protecting valuable forms from damage.

The tight site space also made this project challenging. The detailing and fabrication, for client Farwest Steel Corporation, had to be done accurately and on-time because of little laydown space in this busy neighborhood.