Wayfarer

The two towers of Wayfarer Apartments rise ten stories above a sloping site in Seattle’s Yesler Terrace neighborhood. The developer embraced a design approach that draws inspiration from multiple eras, creating a distinctive and timeless aesthetic. Wayfarer has 261 apartment units, a guest suite, a 130-stall garage, tenant storage, and bicycle parking. The project achieved LEED Gold certification.

The building includes many unique amenity spaces, including a podcast studio, a dramatic two-story library with a custom wood wall feature, an art gallery, a parlor, and a conservatory. There are also specialized rooms for gaming, cards, and music. Outdoor and communal spaces include a roof deck, landscaped courtyard, sports court, club room, fitness center, co-working spaces, and a dedicated dog wash area. The amenity spaces include decorative plaster walls, wood ceilings, curved tile, wood openings with inset curved storefronts, quartz slab walls, and hanging metal armatures. In addition to the unique interior features, Wayfarer also has ten curved concrete bioretention planters at the street frontage, ranging up to 25 feet in diameter.

W.G. Clark successfully navigated several significant site challenges during construction. The site contained contaminated soils, requiring close coordination with the geotechnical engineer to ensure proper evaluation and safe disposal. As excavation progressed, unexpected groundwater was encountered. A wellpoint construction dewatering system and 142 additional stone column rigid inclusions were needed to stabilize the site. During construction, W.G. Clark overcame these challenges while keeping the project schedule on track.