Floor framing - Wren Residence
The Wren Residence construction has continued at a steady pace through the holiday season. Below you can see photographs of the demolishion, excavation as well as the forming of the concrete foundation walls. Framing has now begun so the home is taking shape. Follow the live webcam here.
Wren Residence - East Elevation
The Wren residence broke ground today in Missoula Montana after receiving its permit this morning. The home set on two in-city infill lots sits just a stones throw away from the the University of Montana. The home is designed to house a young active family while providing usable living space outdoors year round. With a harsh winter and sweltering summers Missoula’s climate is a study in contrasts. A serious of raised outdoor “living” rooms were designed to maximize the views of the surrounding hills, access winds during the hot summer months and provide shelter from the hard driving snows in the winter. The massing is broken into two distinct volumes connected by exterior and interior bridges and walkways. One volume houses the homes main functions of living/dining and sleeping. The second Southern volume is an artist studio, garage and accessory dwelling unit for visiting guests. Exterior materials include standing seam corten steel sheets, rain-screened reclaimed barn wood, corten operable panels to allow ventilation, and poured concrete walls. A major consideration in the Montana climate and in any other is energy efficiency. Over the next few months I will highlight some of the features and design techniques used to create the Wren Residence. A live webcam has been installed to track the construction process, watch and enjoy!
The Lid Park Residence now sits across from freeway park in Seattle Washington. The home itself is merely 9′ 6″ wide. Why you ask? During the construction of the I-90 tunnel that now connects Seattle to Mercer Island and Bellevue beyond, some properties remained as access easements. This lot is one of them, it is a 19’6″ wide parcel that had sat vacant for over 40 years. With the City of Seattle setbacks a home built on the site would have to be less then ten feet wide. So it sat. We were approached by our client with the challenge of creating a light airy and usable space within this tiny footprint. Excited about the challenge and guided by the unique dimensions we embraced the incredibly sustainable building technique of prefab. Often people are mistaken thinking prefab means the same design or module repeated many times. In our case any home prefab or not that we design is custom to the site, environment, clients needs and program. The Lid Park residence was designed to maximize light while maintaining privacy and creating an open feel despite it’s narrow confinements. The home is just over 1200 sqft featuring three levels, one (the lower) is site built and contains an office nook, bathroom, second bedroom and a laundry area. The middle level (first of the prefab levels) contains a dining room, living room, and kitchen, the top floor contains a master suite and rooftop deck. The modular construction was completed by Method Homes a local prefab builder.
Located on a quiet street just above the Ravenna ravine, Z House creates a private and calming refuge for a fast paced family of four. The clients came with a few simple ideas and an elevated lot that housed an existing garage to remain. They desired a home that would withstand the climate and lifespan through low maintenance and honest materials, zero unoccupied space within home and a solution to having two young and energetic boys on the same plan level as the master bedroom, yet somehow disconnected for privacy.
The solution was to design a modest home with a simple and environmentally conscious material pallet. The raw minerit base and radiant concrete floors flowing from interior to exterior, provide a strong connection with structure and site, enhanced by the large expanse of thermal glass doors that open the living level to a protected internal grass courtyard for the children’s play.
The bedroom level, contained within the aluminum band, breaks plane in two directions, once horizontally, and once vertically, to create the shape of the floating Z. By breaking plane, the clients are able to live on the same level in plan with their children as they are young, yet with the bend, they are disconnected enough to feel the privacy they desire as the children age. The void created by this move allows the Z to float above the grounded base of the house while providing natural light to the high ceilings of the kitchen and protected entry.
Located in the Wenatchee Valley the Shorter Residence was an addition to a 1906 apple orchard farm house. The original structure had already been rebuilt by our client on the interior with modern finishes and a minimalist touch. We were brought on to design a master suite and living room addition that would take advantage of the views of the surrounding valley and reflect the changing climate. The house is more than just a residence, the clients also run a ski team and house many of the team in the home at one time or another during the season. The master was to be designed as a refuge for the couple and their newborn. Exterior materials include corten standing seam, polycarbonate, cement fiber panels and cedar rainscreen siding.
Recently I had the opportunity to meet a client who is currently developing in the Chicago area. What I didn’t expect is to meet was a developer with so much vision. Over the last few weeks we have collaborated in creating a new language for his work that emphasises sustainability, density, and the use of modern construction techniques. Our schematic design for his next site will be built in the Wicker Park area and feature nine condominiums and two commercial spaces. The commercial spaces have been designed to accommodate a restaurant with outdoor seating (covered and uncovered to maximize it’s usage in the Illinois varying weather) and a retail store to continue the urban fabric that has been created through some local boutique stores. The structure it-self is made up of thirty-three modules 16′ in width and 20-45′ in depth. The entire structure above the concrete first floor is modular prefab including the circulation core. A south facing green roof incorporates solar panels above the garage and an extensive green roof occupies the upper level roof. The project will be LEED certified and exemplify sustainable building techniques acting as a catalyst for green development in the neighborhood and surrounding areas.
Rooftop structure & Deck
WithinSodo was completed last month and had it’s grand opening party lastnight. The building is located in Seattle’s SODO neighborhood (south of downtown), which has a long history of industrial yards, warehouses and factories. The Monkey Building is an early 19oo’s building that housed the far east furniture importation business Year of The Monkey. The building owner has transformed part of the building into a dynamic two level event space including the rooftop addition we designed. The lower level consists of two large rooms with double height ceilings, the walls are adorned by works of local artists (www.leifilvedson.com, www.johnosgood.com). The roof top addition includes a butterfly shaped function space with a large overhang for outdoor events, an internal bar and 2000 sqft of deck space.
Glass stairs exposed
A young couple with a growing family searched for months to find a site to build their new home on. After many months and numerous near misses, they abandoned conventional channels and approached a homeowner with an oversized lot in the Phinney Ridge Neighborhood. A portion of that yard was a separate legal lot, left over from an earlier short plat, that became the site for their new 2510 SF home. The design necessarily began by addressing the challenges of a small lot, with significant topography and a large easement that maintained an existing driveway. The resulting footprint dictated that a satisfactory living level could only be accomplished on the third floor by means of a 16’ cantilever. This design challenge was to maintain a connection between the street and the living level through the entry while also maintaining the privacy of the sleeping rooms. This was accomplished by carrying exterior materials through the circulation spaces and providing visual clues to circulation at the entry by placing glass under the stairs. With limited yard, locating usable outdoor space proximate to living areas was also especially important. A series of interconnected decks flow from the living and kitchen spaces, leading up to the more expansive roof deck. The main volume of the home rises above the street and makes a gesture inward. The subtle shift of the volume turns to access the distant views, provides a buffer from the nearby intersection, and gives spatial definition to the open planned living spaces.
My favorite luggage/travel bag of all time!
So I broke down a few months ago and posted about wallpaper so I guess it is that time again. I travel a lot visiting sites and clients overseas and here in the US and have always struggled finding a good travel bag that not only was functional but was also aesthetically appealing. A few years ago I happened to cross paths with an artist and hang bag designer Rian Berry (www.rianbyrian.com) while touring one of our designs in Georgetown. Since then I have followed his product line and development over the years. His bags (which are available in Nordstrom and Metropark among other stores) have a great design quaility about them. His process is more of a painter than a designer and many of his handbags have been inspired by his own artwork. Recently I have become the proud owner of a travel bag (actually two) called the “Breaks”, it is retro yet modern, made of high quality leather and detailed lining. These bags are my go to luggage now and have been perfect for trips overnight or for a week. I prefer to carry-on my bags and these are ideal for doing so. Last week I was invited to walk through his showroom in Downtown Seattle, it was striking. His new womens line of handbags and purses is impressive to say the least and I am excited to see them in stores. He also has created a line called “Poverty Flats” which is a more affordable price point (mostly under $120) that can be found at Urban Outfitters. I love my bags so much I had to share! Attached below are a few of his designs. Check them out and let me know what you think! Also if you are interested he was featured in the Seattle Times.
The White Rock LEED Prefab homes have started construction! They are being developed by Inhaus Development and built by Method Homes. I had previous mentioned them in a post: The project consists of two homes designed around the principals of Inhaus; “Live Smart, not Large”. The project will be the first LEED certified residences built in the City of White Rock and feature a myriad of sustainable materials and design features.
“These two individual “small footprint”, thoughtfully designed homes are “green/sustainable” due to the nature of their construction, design, orientation, insulation & efficiency. Prefabricating the majority of the project in an offsite, climate controlled facility allows us to produce high quality dwellings at a reasonable price, all while greatly reducing on-site waste, local impact & build times. These homes will serve as a model for a number of planned projects in the area that will directly follow the completion of this project.”
“Finish Levels: Designed to a modern aesthetic / minimalist, simple in nature yet high quality in construction. Rather than waste money on elaborate finishes and interior fixtures, we have chosen to stick to our ideals. Both homes feature simple cabinetry that is modern in style, locally built, with no VOC or harmful chemicals. All finishes and fixtures have been selected to meet LEED standards. The homes feature an ultra-efficient in-floor radiant heating system, and are centrally controlled via the built in “smart home” technology. All appliances are top Energy Star rated and were selected for their intrinsic efficiency. The modern quartz countertops incorporate over 75% recycled content, and glass railings / open stairs are used throughout, providing corridors for natural light throughout the homes.”
As you can see in the photos below one of the major advantages of prefab is climate control, since we are having less and less sunshine here in Washington a controlled environment not only speeds construction but also minimizes potential for mold in wood framing. Check back in the next week or two for more progress!!
