Firm： Arktura LLC

Type： Commercial › Office

STATUS： Built

YEAR： 2019

Arktura, in collaboration with Graphite Design and Tbar construction, employed innovative, thoughtful approaches to design, manufacturing, and installation to make this unique custom ceiling system in the heart of downtown Seattle, Washington a reality. The feature ceiling serves as the key welcoming attraction to a massive new two-story-high tech company campus finalized in 2019. Extending approximately 8600 square feet of interior and exterior areas, this custom ceiling takes its cues from nature, with a design directly inspired by the swarming flight patterns of birds. These murmurations were translated into nearly 3500 “Pixels,” elegant powder-coated aluminum subpanels that use only bent angles and underlying color gradations to evoke a dynamic feeling of movement through a static system. Pixels modularly connect to larger torsion panels, some hoisted several stories high. Enhancing both the visual richness and complexity of execution of the ceiling are the system’s integrated lights. These add to the ceiling’s dynamic feelings of movement in the nighttime, accentuating the angles of Pixels and colors of their underlying panels, and adding a layer of depth to the entire system, through their interplay of light and shadow. The end result is a unique experience that reinterprets Pacific Northwestern fondness of nature through an innovative, tech inspired lens.