An interview with Alan Maskin: the man revamping the Seattle Space Needle


We all remember the emotionally charged scene in the film Sleepless in Seattle when Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks finally meet at the top of the Space Needle right? Well the iconic Seattle landmark is getting a revamp and it’s going to be epic.


The venture has been named the ‘Century Project’ and is to be overseen by Seattle based architecture firm Olson Kundig. The project will focus on balancing modernity with tradition, ultimately giving the famous structure an overhaul.

Alan Maskin and Blair Payson are in charge of designing the renovation and plan enhance the visitor’s view of that famous Seattle skyline by opening up the observation deck view by adding floor-to-ceiling glass on the interior and exterior. On top of this, there is going to be a restaurant with a rotating glass floor to reveal downward views of the structure that have never been seen before.

It all sounds very exciting so we sat down with Alan Maskin, Principal and owner of Olson Kundig to find out more.

How did it feel working on such an iconic building?

There aren’t many buildings quite like the Space Needle. Rehabilitating these kinds of structures while holding onto their character is a project type I thoroughly enjoy working on.

When I studied architecture at the University of Washington, Victor Steinbrueck – a key designer who assisted John Graham & Company’s office who worked on designing the Space Needle in the 1960s – was a design critic. I was well acquainted with his work and contributions to Seattle’s built environment. In my first structural engineering class, one of my early assignments was to pick a building and make a 3D model of its structure. My friend and I chose the Space Needle. We made a six-foot tall cardboard model that showed all the structural elements in the building. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that several decades later I would be studying that structure again with my colleague Blair Payson (Project Architect) and our team in preparation for working on design proposals and refurbishments of the Space Needle for the next 50 years.

The Century Project is one of those projects that far exceeds any expectations or hopes one might have for a career in architecture, even those that have only lived in your imagination. A construction project 500 feet in the air is a rare and fantastic challenge.

What changes are you making to the building?

Key features of Olson Kundig’s design for the renovation include:

  • New glass structural barriers will replace the wire safety “caging” on the outer open-air Observation Deck.
  • The new exterior glass barriers replace short walls and security screens – expanding the view of Seattle below offering a seamless sight line.
  • Canted-glass benches will be affixed to alternating glass barriers on the outer open-air Observation Deck.
  • In the interior, floor-to-ceiling glass will take the place of low exterior walls creating uninhibited 360 degree views from the moment guests step off the elevator.
  • In the interior, a dramatic new open circular stairway made of steel, wood, and glass will wind down from the Observation Deck to the restaurant level. At the base of the new open stairway will be a glass-floored oculus revealing views of the Space Needle’s steel superstructure, as well as the elevators and counterweights ascending and descending.
  • The restaurant level will also feature floor-to-ceiling glass and will upgrade its original rotating floor to one of glass, creating an awe-inspiring new view — a look down to the Space Needle’s structure itself, the mechanics of the rotating floor, and the sprawling Seattle Center campus below.
  • On the Observation Deck, there will be improved accessibility with a custom-designed, state-of-the-art ADA lift and improved access with the addition of double-sized doors and wide stairways allowing for a more gracious, crowd-friendly ingress and egress to the outer deck.

The Space Needle has been working with world-renowned designer Adam D. Tihany of Tihany Design to create a new restaurant and café interiors that will showcase the views.

How does the rotating glass floor work?

We were thrilled to have the opportunity to reimagine the historic rotating floor on the restaurant level of the Space Needle and transform it into the world’s first rotating glass floor. As a firm, Olson Kundig has had an interest in kinetic architecture for many decades, designing pieces of buildings that move. The revolving glass floor on the restaurant level will be the largest kinetic piece we have worked on to date. In addition to revealing the original structure of the Space Needle, we’re also revealing the rotation apparatus. When you look through the glass floor, you will be able to see the engine, the wheels and the gears that are driving the restaurant level’s rotation.

There are twelve visible motors, all turning a cog that will also be visible – the system as a whole is completely custom designed. It is fabricated and engineered by Fives Lund who does a significant amount of work with aerospace companies and high profile manufacturers. In partnership with them and with some design guidance from us, Fives Lund developed this system in-house. It is brand new technology and one we think will be interesting for people to see.

What inspired your ideas for the renovation?

If there is one material that defines this renovation, it is glass, and we were pleased to work with Front –a top glazing engineer. Over the last 55 years (since the Space Needle was constructed), the technology of glass has changed. When we made our very first presentation to the Space Needle, it was conceptual ideas – ideas that were literally sketched while riding a ferry boat to work one morning and then elaborated on in a little more detail. In those early sketches, we had talked about opening up and adding much more glass than there is currently. 

This project is not just about looking at the city, but also about observing the Space Needle itself. We saw the renovation as an opportunity to reveal parts of the Space Needle's ingenious original structure that you cannot see today. For example, original steel columns are revealed, an enormous ten-foot tall steel girder circling the mezzanine level will be exposed, and the new gear system that will move the glass floor in the restaurant will be visible for the first time. Visitors will also be able to see the elevators below them as they rise 500 feet through the floor oculus and rotating glass floor. The original steel trusses that hold the gold "halo" have been repurposed to support glass benches for visitors to sit on.

The thing I most look forward to is what it will be like to walk out of that elevator and literally be able to see 360 degrees.

What has been your biggest challenge during the renovation process?

The most obvious challenge is that of working on an older structure, one that is up in the air and is completely surrounded by the environment. The environment is much harsher 520 feet in the air than it is down here, so that was an interesting challenge.

Another challenge was permitting and the jurisdictional side. The Space Needle building is so original – it doesn’t naturally fit in the current building code, just as it didn’t naturally fit in the applicable codes of 1962. We had to negotiate many different aspects of the project to obtain permits. The city has been willing to navigate this with us because there is recognition that this is such an iconic, important part of the city.








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