BUILD Blog

The U-District and Ravenna are surprising neighborhoods. They are closer to downtown than you might think in both proximity and character, and while they don’t have an abundance of hot, modern design, they’ve got the stuff that makes for great neighborhoods. The U-District in particular has done an excellent job of adapting and evolving over time. Rather than tearing down older structures, the character of the area is retained as gas stations become breakfast joints, houses become kayak rental shops and high-tech restaurants are taken over by the UW architecture department.

The public transportation in both neighborhoods is excellent; metro delivers its passengers to downtown Seattle in 12 to 16 minutes, direct connection access to the Microsoft campus has been established, and the light rail line is planned to extend up through the area. The Burke-Gilman bike trail passes through the U-District and Ravenna maintains a number of great running/biking trails - in addition to being neighbors with Greenlake. The U-District and Ravenna seem to share the city amenities but retain the peace and quiet of its many parks. Here are some places you should know about:

The Henry Art Gallery gets a constant flow of good design related shows, also check out the James Turrell Skyspace.

University Farmers Market every Saturday from 9am to 2pm. This is the real deal - farmers only, no bead stands, antiques or tarot card readings.

Tenpachi Salon and Store at 5611 University Way NE -clean, modern cuts. Go to the full Tenpachi post here

[Photo by Aaron Leitz]

Agua Verde Cafe & Paddle Club at 1303 NE Boat St -Good Mexican food and kayak rentals on lake Union

Originally built as the “Man Bites Dog Restaurant” at University Way & 40th and designed by the Barnett Schorr Miller Company in 1978. The structure was deemed 1970’s high-tech design and expected to last no more than a decade. 30 years later it’s still there and has served a wide range of functions including a video arcade. Currently it’s owned by the UW school of architecture.

American Apparel at 4345 University Way NE -glass walls, clean lines and scantily clad models

The Deca Hotel and University Lounge at 4507 Brooklyn Ave by R.C. Reamer, 1931

The simple, rickety fruit stand at University Way NE & 65th actually has a modern look and feel of pure function -old school fruit and veggies is the new modern.

Stainless steel clad building at 6211 Roosevelt -home of TCA architects.

Corrugated steel clad building at Roosevelt Way NE & 63rd Str.

U-Bookstore at 4326 University Way NE

The Urban Outfitters shop 4518 University Way is a recent conversion of the old Tower Records space with cool corner windows.

The Whole Foods Roosevelt isn’t modern in aesthetics but the concept is forward thinking and it’s the hub the neighborhood - it’s where you see your neighbors. They offer a packed calendar of cooking classes as well.

3rd Place books and Honey Bear Bakery - books, pastries and coffee with that mom-&-pop shop feel

Pizza Brava at 4222 University Way NE, real neighborhoods have good pizza joints.

The U-District has been called a film goers paradise as the 6 theaters cover the range from blockbusters to independent films and everything in between.

Dwell Roosevelt modern condos at 1026 NE 65th

Nordheim Court modern apartments at 5000 25th Ave NE

The Park Modern at 5611 University Way NE -clean, modern city living, 2 flats left.  Read more about the Park modern here and here.

[Photo by Art Grice]

Herkimer Coffee Shop at 5611 University Way NE - good beans and a modern shop.

University Village

Apple Store at U-Village -ahh the beacon of modern design…

Blue C Sushi at U-Village

Crate & Barrel at U-Village -we’re not typically fans of big box chain stores but the building has some interesting massing and pleasing materials.

15th Ave Art Deco Bridge over Ravenna Park

Running trail through the lush forest of Ravenna Park.

Cowen Park provides wide open space for volley ball and baseball.

The University of Washington campus is filled with impressive pieces of architecture like the William H. Foege Building.

Physics Building by Cesar Pelli, 1994 - Check out the sundial and Foulcault Pendulum

Hidden in the trees along Rainier Vista on the UW campus is Winkenwerder Hall, a mid-century modern gem.

Paul Allen Computer Science Building

Faculty Center by Steinbrueck and Kirk, 1960 - one of the purist mid-century modern examples in Seattle.

McMahon Hall by Kirk, Wallace & McKinley, 1965

Photo of Tenpachi Salon by by Aaron Leitz, Photo of Park Modern by Art Grice
All other photos by BUILD llc

BUILD llc recently completed a home on Bainbridge Island here in the northwest that uses some materials and methods that may be of interest. The home was designed and built for Dr. Marc Ferrin. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: good projects are the direct result of extraordinary homeowners willing to partake in the adventure of design and construction & trust our guidance.

[all images by BUILD llc]

1. Orchard of low-growing fruit trees on a pure geometrical grid.
2. Gravel hardscape.
3. Milgard aluminum windows with bronze finish – the dark, minimal corner mullion gives the appearance of a corner window.
4. Blomus stainless steel mailbox on custom steel plate stand with punched numbering. Mailbox sold by Pure Modern.
5. Milgard aluminum window system with bronze finish. The roof joist support beams are pulled back into the living space and exposed – this allows the window system to extend all the way to the roof joists.
6. MDO soffits painted white as a visual extension of the interior drywall lid. Exterior grade can lights installed at soffit.
7. Rainscreen siding system composed of Cembonit panels by CBF. For an explanation of rainscreen systems click here.
8. Cable rail system by Feeney Cable Rails with custom fabricated galvanized steel verticals and custom ipe top rail.
9. Clear sealed fir exterior door with tempered glass panel and weather-stripping. Reeded glass panels at entry door, clear at all others.
10. Clear T&G cedar mounted vertically and clear sealed. These particular boards span the entire height of the house.
11 Single membrane “flat” roof sloped ¼” per foot and concealed with parapet.
12. Outdoor shower (Kohler Stillness series) with winter shut off valve located inside house at conditioned area.
13. Clerestory windows add additional light to the upstairs hallway and maintain privacy.
14. Chimney capped with galvanized steel wide flange frame to conceal vent cap.
15. Standing seam metal roof with minimal vent penetrations.
16. Cedar fascia stained dark to match the window system.
17. A cantilevered bay allows for extra area inside but doesn’t change the line of the concrete foundation wall below. The change in form is reflected by using a different material at the cantilever.
18. Flush panel wood garage door by Clopay, painted dark to match soffits and blend with window package.
19. Strategically located vegetation to eventually hide the heat pump.
20. Rainscreen panel breaks strategically align with changes in plane.

[all images by BUILD llc]

21. Cold rolled custom steel handrail with blackened finish.
22. Vertically mounted aluminum return air grill – custom size by Shoemaker AFP series.
23. 1×4 flush base trim, pre-primed mdf, painted.
24. Prefabricated concrete stair treads by Diamond Concrete Products.
25. Miele DA series island hood.
26. Thin fin-wall made from 1-3/4” x 11-7/8” LVLs stacked end to end and wrapped with GWB, painted.
27. Slot window – as part of the sequence of entry a visitor gets a peak at the extraordinary view.
28. Absolute black granite countertops with slight eased edge.
29. Lutron Diva light switches with stainless steel cover plates – all devices mounted at a common datum line around the house.
30. Bamboo vertical grain flooring.
31. Custom galvanized vertical guardrails drilled to receive Feeney Cable Rail system.
32. 1×6 ipe decking
33. 5’ foot wide sliding door to pantry – the cabinets are notched to receive sliding door.
34. Maple cabinets by Canyon Creek Cabinet Company with Mockett satin chrome tab pulls.
35. The clerestory window at the shower allows natural daylight but maintains privacy.
36. Milgard aluminum floor to ceiling window system with bronze finish.
37. Kohler Stillness series shower fixtures.
38. Epco polished chrome shower curtain rod.

For more information on the Ferrin Residence check out the YouTube digital model and the YouTube time elapse construction process.

Recently BUILD finished up a nice little condominium interior which introduces several new products to the palette. We’ve put together a brief roster of several materials, products and methods that may be of interest. With the condominium boom here in the northwest, several of these items seem to lend well to a kit-of-parts for condominium upgrades. As with any project, a successful end product can largely be credited to extraordinary homeowners and a contractor that slaved over the details.

[Images by BUILD llc]

1. Henrybuilt VGC bamboo cabinets with under-mount puck lights at uppers
2. Henrybuilt d-pull stainless steel hardware
3. Sub-Zero 700BC 2-drawer under-counter refrigerator/freezer with integral panels to match cabinets.
4. Light shelf with painted wood valiance and concealed Juno TL102 on Juno Trac 12 system
5. Juno Trac 12 system with Juno TL112 adjustable heads. This is a clean, low-profile track system for a concrete lid where it’s not possible to recess the track into the ceiling.
6. Caesarstone 2430 “Tequila Sunrise” countertops, 3mm thick at counter, 2mm thick at backsplash. Be cautious of the local distributors and installers of this product. We found that the Caesarstone recommended local supplier wasn’t detail oriented enough for a project of this precision.
7. Kahrs “Genua City” 2-strip maple wood flooring over Dura-son acoustical pad. Acoustical pads are typically required in high-rise condominiums; so far the “Dura” line of products has done a good job of meeting these requirements.
8. 1” x 1” solid maple base to match flooring. We find that in smaller spaces the smaller trim helps with the overall scale of the room.
9. Grohe Single Spray Pull-out, 32 170
10. Raeco concrete skim coat on existing concrete column. The original idea was to leave the existing concrete shear walls of the building exposed. Because of the poor finish quality of the existing walls they were enveloped with ¾” Wonderboard and topped with a Raeco base coat. Two Raeco skim coats were then applied and sanded to achieve the finished product.
11. Raumplus S3000 aluminum sliding door system with 6mm diffused white glass – these “sliding walls” hide all of the various closet functions (washer, dryer, furnace) behind a continuous run of sleek, sliding glass walls. The doors are backlit with Alkco fluorescent ceiling mounted strip lights for that glowing look. The doors include a double top track and a recessed routed floor track flush with the floor. The local rep here in Seattle is Pedini.
12. Schluter aluminum edge profiles between wood floor and tile.
13. Pental Lagos Blue limestone
14. Custom frameless glass enclosure & glass door with minimal chrome hinges by Distinctive Glass here in Seattle.
15. Robern recessed flat mirror door cabinets.
16. Alkco LIN40 150 watt linear incandescent wall mount lights. The Aamsco Alinea line is also a good option.
17. CR Laurence BM series Chrome towel bars. These also come in a trim-less version that can be mounted to glass shower enclosure walls.
18. Toto CST414 toilet
19. Lacava Aquaplane #5066 box sink. Be cautious with porcelain sinks from Lacava – the dimensions on their website specs don’t take into account the inaccuracies and tolerances of fired products like these sinks; subsequently dimensions were off by as much as ¾”. For dimensional accuracy we recommend looking into some of the hybrid plastic products out there like Wetsytle.
20. Stanley Omnia 025 passage stainless steel lever with (3) Stanley 4 ½” x 4” stainless steel hinges
21. Grohe Essence 32 216 Chrome faucet and 28 871 shower faucet
22. Pental ES#19 5/8” tall x 1-7/8” wide matte finish glass tile with 2% clear finish mixed in at random pattern, mounted horizontally. Glass tiles are more brittle than ceramic tiles and break easily, it takes an accomplished tile setter to work with the product and get the tile grid in alignment with the geometry of the space. The perfect alignment of the recessed shelf and the tile grid takes a great amount of coordination between the carpenter and tile setter (one of the same on this project).

The general contractor on the project is Keith Griffin of Griffin Construction.

Also known as “weathering steel” the trademarked product Cor-ten has become prominent in progressive architecture here in North America. Cor-ten was originally developed from a group of alloy steels which eliminate the need for finishing or painting. The product develops a thin skin of rust which actually protects the inner layers of steel from the elements. This skin continues to rust and weather over time and achieves different appearances depending on the environment, location and exposure. Cor-ten steel is available in many structural cross sections as well as plate and corrugated panels. Technical data on Cor-ten can be found here. Although Cor-ten has been used since the 1960’s in applications of structural necessity and high exposure it has only come to prominence in the architectural industry within the last decade. We’ve rounded up 16 residential projects in North America that use Cor-ten as an exterior skin – in some applications it is the actual envelope, in others it is applied as a rainscreen. Let us know about your favorite Cor-ten projects out there.

829 Greenwich in Manhattan by Matthew Baird Architects, 2005
The facade includes a 40 foot tall Cor-ten steel plate

Mad Park in Seattle by Vandeventer + Carlander, 2007
The Cor-ten panels clad the service functions of the house

Montecito Residence in California by OSKA, 2007
The Cor-ten panels are also used for fire resistance

Delta shelter in Mazama Washington by OSKA, 2007
10’ x 18’ Cor-ten “shutters” which can be rolled closed

Weathering Steel House in North York, Ontario by Shim-Sutcliffe, 2000
Cor-ten sheets are used as cladding and Cor-ten structural members form a bridge across the water element

700 Palms Residence in Venice California by Steven Ehrlich Architects, 2005

The Titan in San Diego by Jonathan Segal
The overall geometry keeps the Cor-ten panels to typical and conventional shapes and sizes

The Prospect in San Diego by Jonathan Segal
While some of the structural steel is Cor-ten the exterior is said to be of typical steel just rusting away. There is a very nice blog post on this project here.

T-House in Wilton New York by Simon Ungers & Tom Kinslow, 1986
The Cor-ten envelope was prefabricated and shipped to the site in three pieces

Camano Island Cabin in Washington by BUILD llc, 2004
The project uses flat Cor-ten sheets and corrugated Cor-ten panels

1603 Random Road in Lawrence Kansas by Studio 804, 2001

Desert Nomad House in Tucson, Arizona by Rick Joy, 2005

[Photo by Mark Skalny]

Tubac House in Arizona by Rick Joy, 2001

Gazzano House in London by Amin Taha

Ten Broeck Cottage in Columbia County New York by Messana O’Rorke Architects

Ocean Beach Residence in San Francisco by Aidlin Darling Design

We can’t even imagine how difficult it must be to do inspiring, forward thinking architecture at the civic level in Seattle. Over the last eight years a handful of firms have been doing some very admirable projects despite the growing challenges of public work and the increasing complexity of obtaining a building permit through Seattle’s Department of Planning and Development (DPD). Here are a number of excellent architectural contributions that have beaten the odds:

Fire station 10 by Weinstein A|U, 2008

Seattle West Precinct/911 by Weinstein A|U, 2000

Federal courthouse by NBBJ, 2004

City Hall by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson + Bassetti Architects, 2003

Fisher Pavilion by Miller Hull, 2001

Seattle Justice Center by NBBJ, 2003

…and of course the Seattle Public Library by OMA, 2004

Seattle’s branch libraries can be seen on an earlier post

So to those of you involved in this extraordinary work, does the City of Seattle Department of Planning and Development stand in the way each step of the process on their own projects too?