{{Short description|660-foot-tall skyscraper in Downtown Seattle, Washington}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}} {{Use American English|date=February 2025}} {{Infobox building |name = F5 Tower |former_name = The Mark, Fifth and Columbia Tower |image = F5 Tower - July 2017.jpg |caption = Under construction in July 2017 |location = 801 5th Avenue, Seattle, Washington, U.S. |coordinates = {{coord|47|36|19|N|122|19|52|W|format=dms|display=inline,title|type:landmark_region:US-WA}} |pushpin_map = Seattle WA Downtown |map_caption = Location within downtown Seattle |status = Completed |construction_start_date = |groundbreaking_date = 2014 |completion_date = May 2017 |est_completion = |opening_date = |building_type = Mixed-use: hotel and office building |tip = {{convert|660|ft|m|abbr=on}} |top_floor = |floor_count = 44 |elevator_count = |cost = $450 million<ref name="Rosenberg">{{cite news|last1=Rosenberg|first1=Mike|title=Record construction frenzy sweeps downtown Seattle; more building to come|url=http://www.seattletimes.com/business/real-estate/record-construction-frenzy-sweeps-downtown-seattle-with-more-building-to-come/|newspaper=The Seattle Times|date=March 10, 2017|access-date=March 27, 2017}}</ref> |floor_area = {{convert|761,493|sqft|m2|abbr=on}} |architect = Zimmer Gunsul Frasca |structural_engineer = Arup, Coughlin Porter Lundeen |main_contractor = JTM Construction |developer = Daniels Real Estate |owner = KKR |operator = |references = <ref name="Emporis">{{Cite web |url=https://www.emporis.com/buildings/322792 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307024040/https://www.emporis.com/buildings/322792 |url-status=usurped |archive-date=March 7, 2016 |title=The Mark, Seattle |work=Emporis}}</ref><ref>{{CTBUH|id=1796|title=F5 Tower}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=F5 Tower|url=http://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/f5-tower/1796|website=Skyscraper Center|publisher=CTBUH|access-date=2017-06-18}}</ref> |website = {{URL|https://f5tower.cbre-properties.com/}} }} '''F5 Tower''' (previously '''The Mark''' and '''Fifth and Columbia Tower''') is a {{convert|660|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall}} skyscraper in Downtown Seattle, Washington. It consists of 44 floors<ref name="living wall">{{cite news|last1=Nevy|first1=Nat|title=Sneak peek: Seattle's next luxury hotel opens soon in new downtown high-rise (Photos)|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2017/05/01/sls-seattle-luxury-hotel-mark-tower-photos.html|access-date=May 2, 2017|work=Puget Sound Business Journal|publisher=Puget Sound Business Journal|date=May 1, 2017}}</ref> and is the sixth-tallest building in Seattle.
The tower consists of {{convert|516,000|sqft|sqm}} of office space leased entirely by F5 and a 189-room luxury hotel operated by Lotte Hotels & Resorts.<ref name="F5">{{cite news |url=http://www.seattletimes.com/business/technology/tech-company-f5-will-lease-all-downtowns-newest-office-tower/ |title=Tech company F5 will lease all of downtown's newest office tower |last1=Lerman |first1=Rachel |last2=Rosenberg |first2=Mike |newspaper=The Seattle Times |date=May 3, 2017 |access-date=May 3, 2017}}</ref> The hotel, initially planned to open in 2017 under another operator, was officially opened in September 2020.<ref name="delayed">{{cite news |date=May 1, 2017 |title=Sneak peek: Seattle's next luxury hotel opens soon in new downtown high-rise (Photos)|url=http://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2017/05/01/sls-seattle-luxury-hotel-mark-tower-photos.html |newspaper=Puget Sound Business Journal |access-date=May 2, 2017}}</ref><ref name="Lotte">{{cite news |url=https://www.seattlepi.com/lifestyle/food/slideshow/lotte-hotel-seattle-and-restaurant-opens-downtown-212209.php |title=Stunning Lotte Hotel Seattle makes its debut downtown |last1=Ausley |first1=Christina |newspaper=Seattle Post-Intelligencer | date=November 5, 2020 |access-date=February 17, 2021}}</ref> It was designed by Zimmer Gunsul Frasca and was being developed by Daniels Real Estate. While it was being built during Seattle's historic building boom, the F5 Tower was the most expensive building under construction.<ref name="Rosenberg"/>
The tower was built next to the former First Methodist Episcopal Church. Although the education wing was demolished to make room for the tower, the remainder of the former church building has been preserved and has since been re-purposed into Daniels Recital Hall.
The building was acquired by private equity firm KKR in December 2019 at an estimated cost of $440 million.<ref>{{cite news |last=Khashimova Long |first=Katherine |date=December 23, 2019 |title=Equity firm buys Seattle's F5 Tower and Bellevue's Summit offices for $1.2 billion |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/real-estate/equity-firm-buys-seattles-f5-tower-and-bellevues-summit-offices-for-1-2-billion/ |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=December 24, 2019}}</ref>
==Design==
F5 Tower was designed by ZGF Architects with angular glass curtain walls, which were intended to mimic the silhouette of actress Audrey Hepburn as she appears in the 1961 film ''Breakfast at Tiffany's''. It is {{convert|660|ft|m}} tall and has 44 stories, with the top floor numbered 48 due to skipped numbers.<ref>{{cite news |last=Stiles |first=Marc |date=May 3, 2017 |title=F5 Networks takes new Seattle high-rise in biggest lease of 2017 |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2017/05/03/f5-tower-f5-networks-headquarters-move-high-rise.html |work=Puget Sound Business Journal |accessdate=February 18, 2021}}</ref> The glass walls of the building were designed to regulate temperature and energy use by letting in some sun rays and reflecting others. It uses the same glass as the One World Trade Center in New York City.<ref name="living wall"/> The building features an open office floorplan and an internal staircase system that encourages walking over elevator use: a design that was requested by F5, Inc. (then named F5 Networks), which leases 59 meeting rooms and 290 collaboration spaces in the building.<ref>{{cite news |last=Schlosser |first=Kurt |date=November 13, 2019 |title=Seattle's F5 Tower rises above in 'Cloud City' with perks and views to wow employees and customers |url=https://www.geekwire.com/2019/seattles-f5-tower-rises-cloud-city-perks-views-wow-employees-customers/ |work=GeekWire |access-date=December 18, 2019}}</ref>
To achieve LEED Silver standards, the tower will have a system to capture rainwater for reuse, a {{convert|35|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall}} "living wall" where plants grow in a Columbia Street façade, and rooftop solar energy equipment.<ref name="living wall"/>{{when|It "will have" all these things, but it *has been* completed in 2017?|date=February 2021}} Plans called for the building to be smallest at its base with each floor a different size.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}
The building includes {{convert|516,000|sqft|sqm}} of office space, which was leased for 14.5 years to F5 Networks for $360 million. The lower 13 floors include a hotel with 189 rooms.<ref>{{cite news |last=Stewart |first=Ashley |date=May 13, 2019 |title=F5 Tower is for sale, sources say |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2019/05/13/f5-tower-is-for-sale-eastdil-secured-kevin-daniels.html |work=Puget Sound Business Journal |url-access=subscription |access-date=May 13, 2019}}</ref> The hotel was originally designed and furnished for SLS Hotels, a luxury operator, but the original contract was terminated in 2017.<ref>{{cite news |last=Miller |first=Brian |date=October 9, 2017 |title=Hotel portion of F5 Tower for sale after SLS Seattle contract is ended |url=https://www.djc.com/news/re/12104940.html |work=Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce |access-date=December 18, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Stiles |first=Marc |date=June 14, 2019 |title=Behind the mysterious end of the SLS Seattle |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2019/06/14/behind-the-mysterious-end-of-the-sls-seattle.html |work=Puget Sound Business Journal |url-access=subscription |access-date=December 18, 2019}}</ref> Lotte Hotels & Resorts of South Korea bought the rights to the hotel and sanctuary in December 2019 for $175 million with financing from Hana Financial Group.<ref>{{cite news |last=Stiles |first=Marc |date=December 27, 2019 |title=Korean company's purchase of empty Seattle hotel includes Sanctuary at the Mark |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/news/2019/12/27/korean-companys-purchase-of-empty-seattle-hotel.html |work=Puget Sound Business Journal |url-access=subscription |access-date=January 5, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Jie Ye-eun |date=December 29, 2019 |title=Hana Financial Investment, Hotel Lotte buy $175m hotel in US |url=http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20191229000138 |work=The Korea Herald |access-date=January 15, 2020}}</ref> Lotte Hotel Seattle, the company's 31st location, opened in September 2020 with 189 rooms on 16 floors.<ref>{{cite news |last=Conroy |first=Bill |date=February 7, 2020 |title=South Korea's Lotte Hotel & Resorts Plants Its Flag in Seattle |url=http://seattlebusinessmag.com/tourismhospitality/south-koreas-lotte-hotel-resorts-plants-its-flag-seattle |work=Seattle Business Magazine |access-date=February 7, 2020}}</ref>
==Construction==
Shoring and excavation began in summer 2008 and was delayed due to economic conditions. Construction re-started in the summer of 2014.<ref name="delayed"/> During construction, cables and shoring mechanisms left over from the construction of the Columbia Center in the 1980s were discovered, which led developer Daniels Real Estate to file a lawsuit in August 2015 against the owners of the Columbia Center.<ref>{{cite news |date=August 15, 2015 |title=High-rise owners square off in court |url=http://www.seattletimes.com/business/real-estate/high-rise-owners-square-off-in-court/ |newspaper=The Seattle Times |access-date=August 16, 2015}}</ref> The building topped-out in July 2016.<ref>{{cite web |date=July 12, 2016 |title=Project Updates - July 2016 |publisher=The Mark Seattle |url=http://www.themarkseattle.com/article/project-updates-july-2016 |access-date=April 28, 2017}}</ref> The building officially finished construction in May 2017.<ref name="Emporis" />
==Incidents==
On September 17, 2016, a construction elevator suddenly dropped multiple floors, injuring one of the three men aboard at the time. The exterior elevator was somewhere between the 33rd and 37th floors when high winds caused a power cord to slip and catch on a fall protection net outrigger.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.injurytriallawyer.com/news/f5-tower-lawsuit.cfm|title=LAWSUIT: Construction Elevator Accident At F5 Tower|website=Davis Law Group, P.S.|language=en|access-date=2019-03-26}}</ref>
The building was closed to all workers and visitors on March 2, 2020, for large-scale cleaning after an F5 employee came into contact with a person carrying COVID-19 coronavirus.<ref>{{cite news |last=Clarridge |first=Christine |date=March 2, 2020 |title=F5 Tower in downtown Seattle closes over coronavirus concerns |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/f5-tower-in-downtown-seattle-tower-closes-over-coronavirus-concerns/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=March 2, 2020}}</ref>
==See also== *List of tallest buildings in Seattle
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{official website|http://themarkseattle.com/}}
{{Seattle skyscrapers}}
Category:Skyscraper office buildings in Seattle Category:Skyscraper hotels in Seattle Category:Office buildings completed in 2017 Category:Information technology company headquarters in the United States Category:2017 establishments in Washington (state)