A welcoming, equitable, and enduring place, inspiring civic life and serving the region.

Situated in the heart of downtown Seattle, at the epicenter of trade, technology, and culture for the Puget Sound region, the King County Civic Campus plays a key role in delivering effective and efficient government to millions of residents. It also has the potential to contribute to a thriving and sustainable physical environment. With 21 departments among three branches of government, thousands of employees, and more than two million square feet of assets spanning eight downtown blocks, the Campus itself embodies an unmatched opportunity to holistically rethink how government can better serve through the places it has the ability to shape.

The King County Civic Campus Plan seeks to seamlessly weave government functions into the fabric of the urban environment, contributing to a welcoming, safe, and secure public realm, and inspiring pride in its place and in public service.

Design for equity and fairness

• Program, plan, and build to realize equity and social justice in physical space
• Ensure access to opportunity for all
• Focus on health and well-being through design

Build respectful civic experiences

• Contribute to a safe and welcoming environment
• Make access to government services self-evident
• Celebrate the differences we have in common

Create resilient working places

• Foreground spaces that connect people in government with the people government serves
• Accomplish long-term functional durability
• Construct workplace environments that support recruitment and retention

Deliver financially sound projects

• Plan for a future that begins now
• Unlock real estate value to realize new civic value
• Deliver projects that reduce long-term cost to taxpayers

Design beautifully restorative environments

• Be a global model for the renewal of urban ecologies, sustainable design, and low-carbon development
• Demonstrate that beauty and practicality are inseparable
• Make the unique characteristics of the region and cultures visible in the Civic Campus