Seattle: Construction Phase Economics#
The Summit cost $1.9 billion to build (some sources report $2 billion). This page tracks where that money went — not as a line item on the PFD’s balance sheet (see Finance), but as economic activity flowing through multiple jurisdictions during 2018–2023.
Project Summary#
| |
|---|
| General contractor | Clark/Lewis Joint Venture (Clark Construction Group + Lease Crutcher Lewis) |
| Construction contract value | $960M (of ~$1.9B total project cost) |
| Architect | LMN Architects (lead), with Graham Baba, Scharrer AD, Rolluda, Tiscareno Associates |
| Structural engineer | Magnusson Klemencic Associates (MKA) |
| MEP engineer | Arup |
| Landscape | Gustafson Guthrie Nichol (GGN) |
| Cost consultant | Rider Levett Bucknall (RLB) |
| Project manager | Pine Street Group LLC |
| Groundbreaking | August 14, 2018 |
| Opening | January 25, 2023 |
| Original budget | ~$1.6B |
| Final cost | $1.9B (PFD audit) / $2B (press reports) |
| Overrun | ~$300M |
| Project Labor Agreement | Yes (union labor required) |
| LEED | Platinum (December 2023) |
Major Subcontractors#
| Subcontractor | Scope | Notes |
|---|
| American Bridge Company | Structural steel (~22,000 tons), metal decking (1.4M SF), 157 buckling restrained braces | Federal court found American Bridge “solely responsible” for months of delay |
| MacDonald-Miller Facility Solutions | HVAC (mechanical piping, sheet metal, controls) | Contract >$100M; 1.6M lbs ductwork; 35 air handling units. Seattle-based. |
| Enclos | Curtain wall / facade | 2,400+ units, 332 tons steel, 172,820 sq ft wall area |
| Schindler | Elevators and escalators | 61 units total |
| Garco Construction | Concrete | |
Workforce#
| Metric | Value |
|---|
| Peak daily employment | 1,200–2,000 workers/day (sources vary) |
| Total workers over project life | 6,000+ unique workers |
| Estimated worker-years | 3,400–4,600 (see calculation below) |
| Apprentice hours | 1,000,000+ |
| Apprentice share of workforce | 21.4% |
| Construction sales tax paid | $100M+ (WSCC claim) |
Labor Cost Estimate#
Industry typical labor share for complex commercial construction: 35–40% of hard costs.
