Legacy Square Stage

Epicenter for Civic Gatherings

This new performance shell creates a civic porch for arts and culture performances, sporting events, movie nights and festivals. The all-mass-timber structure is designed to optimize view lines to the large-format screen and supports natural acoustic projection. Weathering steel siding highlights the sculptural form with a durable shell and nod to local industrial heritage.

Timber Takes Center Stage

The 28-foot-tall structure is designed as a three-dimensional wedge to optimize viewing angles and acoustic reflection from the digital screen and performers. Panels of 5-ply cross laminated timber (CLT) form the structural walls, with a 3-ply CLT roof diaphragm spanning across sloped glue-laminated columns and beams to create the stage proscenium. CLT creates a perfect interior surface for reflectivity and warmth to make a welcoming and high performing venue, and the use of mass timber reduces the structure’s embodied carbon loading by 20%. 

The entire structure is wrapped in metal panels with subtly shifting widths and a proprietary weathering steel finish to unify the roof and wall panels with high levels of protection and security. A rolldown grille and a very large bifold door create the final enclosure. 

Energizing the City

A key element of the Civic Core Vision and Action Plan, the project is part of strategic public space and programming investments at Renton’s Heart Block that aim to activate downtown as a vibrant, accessible civic center. The stage’s position adjacent to flexible spaces for gathering, recreation and food trucks, creates synergy for events and maximizes benefits for residents, independent entrepreneurs and the surrounding commercial district.

A building code exception was secured during design to take advantage of the new Prescriptive CLT Shear Wall provisions which will not be fully incorporated in the IBC until the upcoming adoption of the 2024 version. This allowed the seismic forces to be dramatically reduced, lowering the construction cost of both the superstructure and foundations. 

Now complete, the project demonstrates how mass timber can successfully activate urban public spaces while supporting sustainability, economic development and community engagement goals.