The project: The Seattle Monorail is a public-private partnership, owned by the City of Seattle and operated by Seattle Monorail Services (SMS). Improvements to the Westlake Station of the Seattle Monorail were completed in 2021 as part of a $7 million privately funded upgrade.

The goal: Provide the Seattle Monorail with the necessary system upgrades that will improve operations and meet industry code standards.

Technical Scope: Full upgrades to the mechanical and electrical systems were completed in 2021 by IMEG, bringing the existing station up to 2015 Seattle Energy Code standards. Systems upgrades included continuous natural ventilation into the interior’s platform, upgraded ticket machines, entry gates and platform doors, and DMX controlled color-changing lights that washed the undulating slat ceiling extending from interior to exterior.

Challenge: Cramped electrical rooms posed a challenge to adding additional electrical equipment, requiring detailed space coordination. Solution: LED linear grazers utilized an extra tight optic, allowing the undulating ceiling to be lit from a single side, providing seamless illumination while still meeting the stringent wattage restrictions in this small space. The use of Tri-Chip LEDs allowed for color mixing right out of the fixture, allowing for seamless color transitions along the 12 inch spaced ceiling fins.

Challenge: System design was based on old as-builts that required field verification. Solution: New field verification was needed to reflect the current state of the building and current system function. New as-builts were required for the design. IMEG considered industry standard codes and provided a design that is compliant with current regulations.

Project outcome: The system improvements project at Seattle Monorail increased system’s capacity, improved accessibility, and provided better connection to both downtown Seattle and regionally, creating better transportation infrastructure.