A model exhibition by Seattle Architecture Foundation

Architectural design doesn't necessarily envisage what will be, but what could be. And at the Seattle Architecture Foundation's 14th annual model exhibit, "Transitions: Place, Process, Practice," local firms and architectural students put some delightful possibilities on display.

The most eye-catching may be Röllerhaus Pictureworks & Design Co.'s project in Chicago, "Reclaiming Nature's Metropolis," in which city streets are transformed into grassland parks and rice paddies, while the rackety, soot-stained El overhead is converted to a "Wildlife Highway" where sheep can graze.

There are plenty of stimulating local projects on show, too, including Atelier G40's "City Makes," a standout idea for reinventing Bellingham's shoreline. The designers see "empty space," "dead industry" and "disconnected waterfront" as a prime opportunity to restore 93 acres of pedestrian-friendly urban space to the public.

According to SAF's brochure, the show's physical models, architectural renderings and digital images collectively focus on "how buildings both shape and are shaped by their environments and context" and "how the design practice constantly reinvents itself in response to technology, economic realities and new movements."

"Transitions" also gives members of the public glimpses of what might be coming down the pike in their own neighborhood. The projects range from private homes to retail emporiums to transit centers to large-scale urban renewal ventures.

Want a peek at what the Capitol Hill Link light-rail station is going to be like? It's here, courtesy of Seattle firm Hewitt.

So are plans for Hinthorne Mott Architects' new apartment complex at the north end of Seattle's Olympic Sculpture Park, at 3031 Western Avenue, and a revamped Meydenbauer Bay Park by AECOM that could transform a nondescript Bellevue street corner into a pleasant waterside plaza.

Ambition of another type is evident in The Miller Hull Partnership's plans to make the Cascadia Center for Sustainable Design and Construction at 1501 E. Madison "the world's most energy efficient commercial building." The aim is to have the building be 100-percent solar-powered, with all human waste treated on-site.

The complications of the design process are half-comically spelled out in the notes on 3031 Western Avenue, which allude to "public, private, and peer reviews, approvals, appeals, reversals of approvals, re-considerations, re-designs, alternative investigations, analyses and evaluations."

"Transitions" also makes clear that Seattle firms aren't just working locally. They have projects afoot in Italy, China, Spain, Afghanistan and in far-flung parts of the U.S.

The layout of the exhibit could use some tweaking. Labeling is inconsistent. Some displays have explanations of project details; others force you to consult a reference guide available at the reception desk. Maps to show where planned Seattle-area projects will be located would have been useful.

Quibbles aside, it's great fun to survey these meticulously crafted visions of the architectural future.

Michael Upchurch: mupchurch@seattletimes.com