Densify Seattle

I know it is heresy to say anything about Seattle's single family zoning and the neighborhoods that were created with it.   But it seems that the time has come to look again at the zoning laws that were adopted about 100 years ago.  The land of the city needs to be freed up land to allow for more housing experimentation.    No more land is being created and existing zoning creates winners of those lucky enough to have purchased a home long ago or with wages enough to afford the current restricted supply.  There are many apartments being created, but the laws and land and methods of financing used for those apartments don't create homes that families want to live in.  Really something radical needs to be done.  

Folkie Nyberg, a venerated professor of architecture at the University of Washington, recognized the problem decades ago. He taught studios with architecture students exploring ways to densify existing single family neighborhoods, creating work/loft/ housing prototypes for blocks with alleys, those without alleys, those with narrow long blocks and others.  There are many other prototypes all around the world that create wonderful dense and socially delightful family housing.  Full block apartments in Europe with large central courtyards are common.  Skinny towers in Vancouver BC provide another option.   But the 5 story wood frame apartment on a quarter block , while having a place in the mix, cannot be the only option for a denser building type.  

A nice street interface here on a project.  Small porches along with small decks above give owners a sense of ownership of the street and sidewalk.

I would hope the citizens of the city will start to look at revising our laws to allow more experimentation.  Otherwise Seattle will become a stagnant place for the single and the wealthy.  Industries will start to shy away due to lack of housing for their workforce.   That will be unfortunate for a city that had such gritty roots in logging, shipbuilding, and aerospace and be a drag on the regions economy and livelihood.

A Cast Concrete Fireplace

We designed a concrete fireplace to anchor the great room for a recent home.  The owner liked the board form finish provided by lining the forms with cedar boards.  It takes some planning and engineering to make one of these central features work out well.  In this case everyone involved from the architects, engineers, interior designer, to the contractor and subcontractor worked together and with extra effort to make the final result a beautiful feature. 

Casting the fireplace requires exceptional work by the concrete subcontractor.  It has to work the first time, so the forms are sturdy and the crew is diligent during the pour.  Even the concrete mix is carefully crafted to flow well into the forms. The carpenters deserve a huge amount of credit for their expertise and precision in crafting the forms.

The forms are stripped and the rest of the construction can proceed.  The fireplace is a part of the structure of the building so it is supporting roof beams and rafters. 

We set a skylight to wash the face of the fireplace with light during the day.  Lights also wash it at night.

When the sun is just right, the effect of the sun on the concrete is great.

Here in its finished form, the fireplace creates a sense of permanence in the lighter room.  Exactly what a fireplace is suppose to do.

Kubota Garden

We made a recent visit to Kubota Garden in south Seattle.  It was a private nursery, garden, business center and home for the Kubota family's landscape business and was developed over generations.  It is now, through the generosity of the family and hard work of many citizens, a public park and a real delight.  Anyone interested in garden and land design should visit.  Or just visit to have a nice walk!

The walk into the lower garden area slowly opens up.  The mix of color and texture is magnificent.

Large water features need to have a signature bridge.  This one is a quiet design with wornderful red railings.

Little footpath bridges interact with the water.

Contrasting green leaves and the lawn here are wonderful.

This is a little jewel in the city.  

Design of the Prairie Home

The owners of this home purchased a sloping pie shaped lot with access from above. There are nice views of downtown Great Falls and the Missouri river to the East. Capturing these views was a priority.  Also, this open hillside lot is exposed to the prairie wind which can make decks and outdoor spaces uninviting.  Creating some protected outdoor space for the family became an added goal for the design.

The lot is wide enough to exploration layout options.  One option is to build a simple square in the center of the lot.  Another is to build a longer L shape.  Most of the homes in the area follow these models.   But they do not help create compelling or well protected outdoor spaces.  The option chosen and shown below was to split the house into a bedroom wing and living wing creating a central protected outdoor space between them.  An outdoor deck, lower level terrace and a grove of Aspen trees now occupy this protected spot.  The Aspen grove softens the deck areas and mimics the sheltered canyons in eastern Montana. 

The overall layout plan shows the entry drive from the West, the garage and bedroom wing to the North and living wing to the South with deck and lawn to the East   

The southern portion of the home includes a TV area, kitchen dining and living.  The northern portion the garage laundry and master suite.   A narrow circulation hall with stair connect the two wings.  The central deck is accessed from the Master bedroom, Living room, and hallway.

The main level deck is a central shaded and wind protected outdoor spot for the home.  The Aspen trees help provide some greenery and a bit of shade.  

The deck comes to a sharp point making fun place to stand and view the river.  A lower retaining wall helps creates a manicured lawn area for play.

The lower level opens out to a terrace.  Aspen trees are planted in the beds either side of the house staircase.   A adjacent small manicured lawn extends out toward the view.  Rainwater is collected by two large cisterns.

A section between the two building forms shows the connecting hallways and planting areas.  The deck and terrace are to the right.

Low slope metal clad roofs sit atop long glulam beams.  Large gutters at the low end catch water and drop it into cisterns below.  

Large windows face the view downslope.   Large beams and dramatic roofs give the home some design power.

Colors of the home are intended to blend with the dry prairie grasslands while the forms provide a powerful presence.

Projecting roofs, deck and beams are dramatic.  The sharp point of the deck is always a topic of conversation.  

The home works well with the site, provides wonderful views to the river, and fits nicely with the local environment.  At the same time it has a strong presence. The central outdoor space becomes the heart of the home during the spring summer and fall with barbecue, chairs, table and benches.  The coppery color of the exterior blends well with the dry summer grasses.

Architect goes camping

When you are pushed into camping it becomes natural to want to make it, well at my age, a softer more plush experience.  The tent on the ground with a thermarest pad are ok, but a bit of indulgence comes to mind.  So, while sitting in the tent on the thermarest pad my backside starts to dream a bit...... and so the custom trailer!   

Rat rod maybe.

Or bigger!  A true land yacht...

Yacht with a grand bedroom salon.  

Detailed with operable windows and screens, a cool looking land yacht.

Oh well, back to camping...

Foundation for a Flood Plain

The design for this new beach home on a low-lying Puget Sound lot needed to handle a predicted flooding on the lot.  We explored commercially available flood vents for the home but were dissatisfied with both their look and function. Instead we decided to design the whole foundation as an integral part of the home to handle predicted flood waters.  A foundation with ample screened openings will allow flood waters to wash in under the building and then back out.  This rare occurrence would cause no damage to the home and dry out quickly.  Commercial flood vents would not work as well and would not allow the crawl space to dry out quickly.

Framing over the flood plane foundation is proceeding here.

By lining up the flood openings with the windows above the façade of the home became more unified and finished.  

A broad set of stairs and large entry porch help make a pleasing entry.  The heat pump unit is set on a concrete pedestal and screened with a slatted fence to protect it from flood waters.  The electrical box will be painted also to have it blend with the home.

The final design of the vacation home has a quiet presence on the beach front. 

the main living area with large windows facing the view.

The quiet exterior is a counterpoint to a dramatic wood lined interior of the beach home.

The stair climbs to the second floor loft and bedrooms.

A central skylight helps illuminate the whole interior.  A motorized operator within the skylight exhosts built up heat.

Let the Landscape In!

Much of our design work revolves around creating an intimate relationship with the surrounding landscape.  We love to create indoor / outdoor spaces that allow for easy movement through and around the building.

This small terrace projects into the landscape creating a small outdoor space for the owners study.

The terrace roof here is pulled away to allow for landscape along the walkway.

Landscaping flows between the main house and the guest house.  A terrace roof connects them together.

Terracing is broken up to allow the landscape in and near the building.

The landscape here runs along the entry walk and under the building out to the water.

Allowing the landscape to become a part of the building adds another level of enjoyment to the design.

Design can be delightful.

SLA's Methow Ski Cabin

Cabin image

When asked to design a small ski cabin in the Methow Valley we chose to have a bit of fun with the existing irrigation canal on the property.  It is conveniently controlled so there is no danger of flooding.  The canal became the center of the cabin layout.

The irrigation canal widens to create a small pond at the center of the design.  Large steps lead to the entry door and small stepping stones lead to the outdoor sauna.

The garage and storage are located on one side of the canal.  The living areas on the other.  A terrace and small pond form the center. 

The living area opens both to the pond area and to the view across the valley. 

The main living area opens to the view.  Bedrooms are on each end.

Roofs roatate around the center.

The roof system is made of 3 shallow sloping shed roofs that drop snow away from outdoor spaces.  The structure is heafty enough to support snow on the roof for the winter.   That winter snow helps insulate the roof. In the spring the roofs shed snow away from the building.

Large windows capture views across the valley.