Railspur Studios
Railspur Studios reimagines a historic Pioneer Square building as a flexible workplace and gathering destination rooted in the character of the existing structure. The design carefully integrates new interventions with the building’s mass timber and brick shell, using reclaimed materials from the neighborhood block and a rotating art program to create a cohesive identity across a variety of office settings.
Each floor plate prioritizes flexibility for users, whether one person is looking for an office space or a company is quickly growing and needs an adaptable set of offerings. As part of Urban Villages’ larger mixed-use district, Railspur Studios connects work, art, hospitality, and community, creating a workplace that feels distinctly tied to Pioneer Square.
Seattle, WA
Coworking
2 Floors
22,000 SF
Coming off the elevator and main exterior stair, the public is invited into a curated rotation of art as part of the client’s collaboration with a local art group.
At RailSpur Studios, salvaged car decking from the adjacent building wraps the art gallery and helps organize public and private areas within the Pioneer Square coworking space.
The project began with multiple iterations of floor plate programming, ideating on types of workplace scenarios and potential companies and their growth overtime. Through all iterations there remained a priority of offering a public space through art galleries while also providing neighborhoods for the coworking operation.
A shared RailSpur Studios lounge looks across Pioneer Square, with a bar height table made from salvaged car decking giving members another place to work or gather along the windows.
Existing brick, timber, and industrial windows remain visible throughout RailSpur Studios, while furniture and quieter architectural additions give the coworking lounge flexibility for meetings, conversation, and individual work.
The shared kitchen at RailSpur Studios fits within the existing timber and brick structure, giving members a communal table and everyday gathering place within the Seattle coworking space.
New building systems were carefully routed around the existing timber structure at RailSpur Studios, keeping the historic Pioneer Square building legible while accommodating contemporary coworking spaces.
Four coworking suites share a central lounge at RailSpur Studios, giving smaller teams their own workplace while providing a larger setting for working, meeting, and gathering together.
Salvaged furniture continues RailSpur Studios’ approach to reuse beyond the architecture, furnishing shared coworking spaces while retaining the material character of the historic Seattle building.
Open coworking settings offer multiple areas for varied types of work, with more quiet spaces along the window wall and larger casual team meetings available in the lounge below.
