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City View: Seattle Design Shows Natural Wonders

When I think of Seattle, I Believe of the Space Needle, sleeplessness on a houseboat, Starbucks, Singles, Soundgarden and spitting rain. Recognizing this was likely an extremely weak and stereotypical way to explain one of my favourite cities, I decided to dig deeper and talk with designers and architects at the Pacific Northwest to get an accurate picture of the Seattle layout scene.

Seattle designers agree that the region’s unique climate and geography are the strongest influences upon layout. The striking beauty of the environment inspires blurring the lines between indoors and out, arranging rooms “upside down” (more on this later), using rain displays and living in homes that float across the water. Additional priorities in Seattle layout are a deep concern for the environment, comfy and outdoorsy lifestyles, and respect to local materials and craftsmanship. The combination of those influences results in residential designs which are unique to the region. Here are seven factors which help make Seattle layout distinct.

Jim Burton Architects

1. Sustainable design.

“A misconception concerning design in Seattle is that solar does not work,” says architect Jim Burton. “In fact, Seattle has more usable solar, on an yearly basis, than Germany, that has the most solar per capita in the world. With the present national and state incentives for doing photovoltaic or solar thermal, it makes a lot of financial sense too.”

The passive house is another wave here, he says. “There’s a powerful, developing P.H. community in the Northwest, and our climate adds itself to this”

FINNE Architects

A desire to live more economically manifests itself in overall scale in addition to intelligent particulars. Architect Nils Finne characterizes Seattle design as “not flashy, with an understated and restrained sense of design — little houses, maybe not McMansions.”

Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects

“Sustainability has become an integral part of how we design our buildings,” says architect Dan Nelson. “Rain display systems [one is found with this floating house] are often used on the outside envelope to protect against water intrusion.”

Know more about rain screen systems

RGN Construction

“We are seeing a rise in using high-quality, low-maintenance and environmentally friendly Trespa panels for exterior cladding and ornamental facades,” says Patti Blevins of RGN Construction. “We use a rain screen system with the panels, which offers the ideal blend of style and function to our Seattle weather”

Eggleston Farkas Architects

2. Making the most of the spectacular geography of the area, in addition to maximizing natural lighting.

“The city and region are topographically varied, and the resultant slopes allow for a number of mountain, water and city views,” says architect Allan Farkas. “Thus, when given the chance, we are apt to design to take maximum advantage of their views. Sometimes this has entailed doing what we’ve been calling an ‘upside-down’ house, with the main living spaces on the top floor and the bedrooms below.”

FINNE Architects

Architect Finne agrees. “Here in the Pacific Northwest, natural lighting is a valuable commodity, and the interiors of my endeavors are filled with a soft, diffuse daylight that normally comes from top clerestory windows. During the day hours, a number of my customers do not require any artificial lights at all — the supreme energy conservation measure,” he says. “The large windows are also frequently operable, so that through the summertime, we can take advantage of natural ventilation”

Jim Burton Architects

“Strategies are blurring the boundary between the inside and outside — for example, running substances and/or layout components continuous from indoors to out, using natural substances, maximizing natural light and passive solar heating,” says Burton.

McClellan Architects

Architect Regan McClellan agrees, noting that Seattle’s architectural design has “strong responses to views, light and using natural substances to reflect the surrounding landscape. Large window areas completely embrace views and also allow in natural light, especially during our dark winters”

McClellan Architects

“Typically this results in single-pitch roofs which open up the opinion on the large side, and on the downslope side provide a more intimate scale,” continues McClellan. “We almost only use a palette of materials and colors which is nature based to reflect the colors and textures that are found in the Pacific Northwest landscape”

Eggleston Farkas Architects

3. The climate is a sizable influence upon Seattle lifestyles and layout, but not really in how you might think.

“One misconception is that it rains and therefore we don’t go outside,” says Farkas. “The reality is that while it remains gray for a lot of the winter, it rarely rains hard and does not get that cold. So, you wear a rain jacket and discuss your business. In the same way, in case you’ve got a good roof overhang and some wind protection, outdoor spaces can be utilized year-round. Also, the summers are magnificent: long days without a rain — we have not had a fall in 44 days. Still another reason for useable outdoor space”

Eggleston Farkas Architects

“We do in fact get rain, and attention has to be paid to it,” Farkas adds. “Roof overhangs and well-detailed gutters and downspouts can turn a necessity in an amenity.”

Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects

4. Relaxed and outdoorsy lifestyles.

Seattle’s laid-back attitude shows through in design. “Our dwellings generally have open floor plans which reflect the casual lifestyle of Northwest living,” says Nelson. “living spaces open up to the spectacular views of mountains, water and lush vegetation. It is typical for modern Seattle homes to have large expanses of glass opening up to the views. It is also normal to have operable glass walls — Nana walls — or glass overhead doors opening up to outdoor rooms, terraces or gardens”

McClellan Architects

McClellan also notes that a movement toward less formal homes. “We’re not seeing separate formal living rooms, dining rooms and kitchens,” he says. “Rather these distances are combined both visually and physically to make a less formal encounter.”

Jim Burton Architects

5. The use of local materials, including lots of wood from the region.

“I would say the honest use of timber is a powerful part of this Seattle style. “Honest” meaning using it in a way that serves a role, as well as being beautiful,” says Burton. “Wood rain display is one way to attain this. We also use deep overhangs to protect the houses from our moist winters”

Jim Burton Architects

Burton utilized both a timber rain display and deep overhangs with this project. Here’s a closer look at the rain display siding.

Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects

Nelson also notes the prosperity of natural substances in the region and its influence on the architecture. “Our dwellings are inclined to be constructed of natural materials such as cedar and fir,” he says. “The structure is often exposed on the interiors.”

He adds that “now there’s a tendency to use wood along with steel and concrete. It is normal to expose metal beams along with wood flooring joists and beams”

FINNE Architects

“Seattle is surrounded by stunning indigenous Pacific Northwest stands of Douglas fir, red cedar and, farther north, Alaskan yellow cedar,” says Finne. “Wood brings warmth and a natural touch to interior and exterior.”

Beverly Bradshaw Interiors

“I believe what makes a layout distinctly Seattle is more the Northwest design of blending the natural components we’re so lucky to be bombarded by here in the Pacific Northwest,” says interior designer Beverly Bradshaw. “Using stone and wood, along with iron and glass, as there are several gifted artisans in Seattle that operate with those mediums”

Beverly Bradshaw Interiors

6. The natural colour palette of the region.

Bradshaw believes that working with the natural colour palette is the simplest way for interiors and the natural lighting to match each other. “The colors of the skies, water, earthy tones and green from the trees we’re surrounded by helps to make the Northwest look,” she says.

Tewes Design

Interior designer Karla Tewes likes to react to Seattle’s climate and colors yet another way: with bright colour. “I would say that a trend on the rise in Seattle is the usage of colour,” she says.

Tewes Design

“You can wear black every day and the skies may be gray most of the year, but nothing changes a mood such as a fresh pop of colour in your home,” says Tewes.

Dan Nelson, Designs Northwest Architects

7. Influence of the area’s corporations.

According to Nelson, neighborhood megabusinesses influence aesthetics too. “The coffee culture of Seattle — the Starbucks aesthetic — and Microsoft — the integration of technology –‘ve certainly made an impact on modern Seattle layout,” he says.

FINNE Architects

Details which Matter

Finne mentions the effect of local businesses as well, specifically the highly sophisticated aerospace sector — which is, Boeing. He notes “using sophisticated CNC machines [and] highly sophisticated water jet, milling and machining stores” in residential layout, particularly for the particulars.

However, this use of technology hasn’t affected neighborhood designers’ high esteem for craftsmanship or the access to highly skilled local craftspeople. Finne notes concern for detail and craft in Seattle’s architecture, which contributes to “long-lasting construction designed to weather.” This is a traditional sustainable way to approach design. “If we consume less but be sure that we do choose brightly designed, well-crafted items and environments, we’re on the path to a sustainable future,” he says.

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