Tori Shao Adorns Northlake Commons with Forested Mural

Honoring the family’s 100-plus year commitment to the North Lake Union neighborhood,
Dunn Lumber and its development partners have commissioned a large scale art
project for Northlake Commons, a transformational, 200,000 square foot commercial
project currently under construction across the street from the Dunn Lumber
headquarters at Latona Avenue and Northlake Way.

A mural measuring approximately 70 feet wide by 12-14 feet high will link the project
with the active Lake Union lakefront and reflect Northlake Commons’ and Dunn
Lumber’s connection with the community. The project will incorporate heavy timber both
indoors and out, with a welcoming opening onto the Burke-Gilman trail and featuring
striking views of the water and beyond. Befitting the Dunn family, it will be the first
large-scale mass timber commercial office building in Seattle.

Artist Tori Shao’s vibrant and imaginative submission was selected by the development
team of the HessCallahanGrey Group and Spear Street Capital, working in conjunction
with the architecture firm Weber Thompson and the Dunn Family.

Seattle Art Source conducted a regional search and presented an array of mural
options, with artist Shao winning the final design with her evocative submission. The
mural will offer an inviting journey into the artist’s representation of a forest community,
the source of the timber being used in this unique development.

Northlake Commons Mural Concept Statement: A plant community – an association
of plants growing together – is an important component in understanding the ecological
systems that occur in and around our region. The Northlake Commons mural
composition places passing pedestrians in the understory of a forest, where trunks of
red alder and western red cedar are splashed with filtered sunlight from the canopy
above. Red alder and western red cedar can often be found growing together in our
region and are ambassadors of our connection to – and reliance on – our forests. These
species are culturally significant to our region’s Indigenous peoples and also play an
important ecological role within our forests for plants and animals alike.

Northlake Commons: Deeply rooted in the history of North Lake Union and the
surrounding community, Dunn Lumber committed to maintaining these connections
while transforming its lumber yard into a new, approximately 200,000 square foot mass
timber commercial building. Northlake Commons will be a LEED Platinum project
combining, retail, office, lab, and warehouse spaces. The project is in partnership with
the Dunn Lumber family, HessCallhanGrey Group and Spear Street Capital. Key team
members include: Weber Thompson, DCI Engineers, KPFF and Swinerton
Construction. For More information on this project visit: NorthlakeCommonsSeattle.com or
contact Joanna Callahan, joanna@hesscallahan.com.

Tori Shao is a Seattle-based illustrator, muralist, and practicing Landscape Architect.
Her work is inspired by our cultural and ecological relationships to plants, objects, and
one another.

Dunn Lumber is a family-owned retail building material business with 9 locations in the
Great Seattle Area. Founded in 1907, Dunn’s first retail storefront lumber yard was in an
old barn near the location of the current University Village shopping center. In 1931
Dunn Lumber relocated to its current headquarters and retail store at the north end of
Lake Union. For more information about Dunn Lumber and the family visit: The History
of Dunn Lumber.

Weber Thompson is a majority women-owned, full-service design firm specializing in
architecture, interior design, and landscape architecture. Based in Seattle, this
award-winning company has a staff of 70 design and construction professionals housed
in the celebrated Watershed, a Living Building Challenge Petal Certified office building
in Fremont. Since 1988, Weber Thompson has developed diverse practices with
projects that include high-rises, high-density urban infill, residential, commercial office,
hospitality, and affordable housing projects. Weber Thompson seeks effective results
through a thoughtful and collaborative design process. For more information, go to
Weber Thompson or contact Weber Thompson at (206) 344-5700 or
info@weberthompson.com.

The HessCallahanGrey Group is a partnership between local developers Mike Hess,
Mark Grey, and Joanna Callahan. With more than 65 years of experience in commercial
development and deep ties to the Pacific Northwest, the HCG Group has earned a
reputation for delivering high quality, distinctive projects that prioritize sustainability,
innovation, and one-of-a-kind design, particularly in the North Lake Union and Fremont
submarkets. Visit HCG at: The Hess Callahan Grey Group.

Spear Street Capital is an owner and operator of distinctive office properties located in
the United States, Canada and Europe. Based in San Francisco and New York, Spear
Street focuses on assets and portfolios greater than $25 million in total value, targeting
well conceived and located properties that can succeed through creative leasing efforts,
physical improvements, entitlement changes or realization of adaptive re-use strategies.
The company has an established track record as a dependable and resourceful buyer of
complicated office assets, having bought, sold or developed in a broad array of markets
through all real estate cycles.