Best of Home 2008: Top Architects

Founded by University of Washington professor of architecture Omer Mithun in 1949, Mithun Architects has been a pioneer of green design in the Northwest since the early 1970s, when its architects began using solar technology as a response to the energy crisis. The firm began researching other sustainable strategies in 1993, when it was hired to design REI’s flagship store in downtown Seattle. Green design was a new concept at the time, and REI was one of the first local companies to request the incorporation of eco-friendly elements, such as recycled materials, into their building. The project helped to focus the firm, recalls Mithun president Bert Gregory. “We felt good about reducing harm to the planet by using less energy and water and fewer resources.” 

 

Mithun projects, both built and unbuilt, continue to push the parameters of the possible. In August 2007, the firm won Best in Show in the Cascadia Region Green Building Council’s Living Building Challenge for its conceptual design of a “vertical farm,” called the Center for Urban Agriculture (CUA), which combines 318 affordable apartments with agricultural features, such as a chicken farm and fields for growing vegetables and grains, with the goal of creating a self-sustaining community. “Concepts like CUA are extremely important for architecture as a science,” says Gregory. “Constantly developing creative and challenging ideas is the best way to uncover innovative solutions to today’s problems.”

 

Mithun-designed dwellings currently creating a buzz locally include the sustainable Taylor 28 apartments, coming to Taylor Avenue near the Seattle Center in Spring 2009; and the much-lauded 12-story Mosler Lofts (moslerlofts.com) in Belltown, completed last October. Seattle’s first LEED- and Built Green-certified condominium tower comprises 150 loft-style homes featuring many low-maintenance, energy-saving elements, including Energy Star appliances, and a park-like green roof. You can expect even bigger, and no doubt greener, things from Mithun in the coming years. “In the last five years, we have gone from designing buildings to designing neighborhoods,” says Gregory. “Now we are thinking in terms of [designing] entire regions.”

MITHUN ARCHITECTS + DESIGNERS + PLANNERS, PIER 56, 1201 ALASKAN WAY, SUITE 200, SEATTLE; 206.623.3344; MITHUN.COM TEAM: PRESIDENT BERT GREGORY; 225 EMPLOYEES, INCLUDING ARCHITECTS, INTERIOR DESIGNERS, URBAN PLANNERS AND LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS GREGORY’S TAKE ON THE FUNDAMENTAL APPEAL OF GREEN DESIGN: “[SUSTAINABLE DESIGN] IS ENDURING, REPLENISHING AND SATISFYING.”

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Growing up in Kansas City, and then earning a degree in architecture from the University of Kansas, Tim Rhodes was surrounded by nondescript, cookie-cutter homes that he categorizes as “boxes.” These uninspiring abodes “are a large part of why I left,” says Rhodes. He began his career in 1989 at now-defunct firm Carlson/Ferrin Architects in Seattle, a city that has inspired him on many levels. “I was attracted to Seattle by the [quality of] design happening here and the high level of appreciation for it,” he says. “The amazing natural environment was also an important [factor].” 

 

In 1995, Rhodes struck out on his own, forming Rhodes Architecture + Light to focus on high-end residential work. These days, his graceful Northwest contemporary designs are evenly split between custom homes and speculative homes for developers. “I treat each project as unique, taking into consideration the site and views,” he says. “[When designing custom homes], I explore how clients live their daily lives, to make sure their homes reflect their needs and taste.”

 

Designing spec homes “has made me think about how people use homes in general,” says Rhodes. “My focus is on livability.” If a recent project, Magnolia Gardens, is any indication, local homebuyers approve of his function-oriented design. The modern, utilitarian spec house—which has wide, sweeping overhangs that allow the owners to use outdoor spaces in any weather—was on the market for less than a week before selling for more than $2 million in fall 2006. Says Rhodes, “I design homes with natural colors, textures and lots of glass—homes that allow people to connect with the outdoors and are more than just boxes.”

A shared passion for Northwest-centric design has united Jim Replinger, Tim Hossner and Christopher Osolin for years. The trio first bonded as budding architects in the 1980s at acclaimed Seattle firm Bumgardner, whose founder designed such signature Seattle spaces as Market Place North and the Market Place offices. “Al Bumgardner was a master practitioner of Northwest contemporary home design—something that attracted each of us [to the firm],” says Hossner. (In 2007, Osolin relocated to Portland, where he is building his dream home and has formed Christopher Osolin Design.)

 

The trio’s expansive portfolio includes both remodels and new construction—ranging from high-end Seattle dwellings to modest cabins in rural areas—with an increasing emphasis on environmentally responsible design. A recent example is Southpaw, a new classic-meets-modern home in Seward Park that generates some of its electricity through a linked collection of solar modules. “We’re often complimented on the breadth of our work,” says Hossner. “This probably stems from the fact that we tend to gravitate towards clients who are committed to doing thoughtful and unique projects rather than any particular project type.” The firm’s approach to each endeavor is to “focus on bringing out [a home’s] essence,” says Hossner. “We work with each client to determine a theme based on the site, the views and the client’s goals. [The end result] is as much about what’s not there as about what is.”

 

Staying true to such a focused vision can mean coming up with creative design solutions. “If building a privacy screen to separate a downstairs space from an upstairs loft means compromising the proportions of a house, I think of other ways to achieve the same effect,” says Hossner. “Maybe we’ll build a cabinet to create privacy instead.” He adds, “At a certain point, a home takes on a life of its own. It becomes [like] a teenager, and you just work with it.”

 

REPLINGER HOSSNER ARCHITECTS (FORMERLY REPLINGER HOSSNER OSOLIN ARCHITECTS), 7203 30TH AVE. SW, SEATTLE; 206.933.8228; 10456 BEACHCREST DR., BAINBRIDGE ISLAND; 206.842.1246 REPLINGERHOSSNER.COM   TEAM: PRINCIPALS JIM REPLINGER, TIM HOSSNER AND (FORMERLY) CHRISTOPHER OSOLIN OSOLIN’S FAVORITE RECENT PROJECT: “A CARPORT AND BACKYARD DESIGN AND KITCHEN REMODEL ON AN ALMOST 100-YEAR-OLD HOUSE. [THE CARPORT] HAS A CLEAN, MODERN AESTHETIC WITH A MINIMAL APPROACH TO MATERIALS AND DETAILING.” REPLINGER’S INSPIRATION: “MY FOREMOST SOURCE OF INSPIRATION HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY PARENTS. [REPLINGER’S LATE FATHER WAS AN ARCHITECT AND HIS MOTHER IS A WEAVER AND TEXTILE ARTIST.] EQUALLY DEVOTED TO THEIR WORK, THEY BOTH BUILT AN AMAZING NETWORK OF FRIENDS, COLLEAGUES AND CLIENTS.” HOSSNER ON CLIENT COLLABORATION: “MANY OF OUR MOST SUCCESSFUL AND REWARDING PROJECTS HAVE BEEN WITH CLIENTS WHO PRESENT STRONG IDEAS THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS.”

 

Chris Pardo and David Biddle, founders of Pb Elemental, met in the masters of architecture program at the University of Washington. In 2004, even before graduating, the duo tackled their first project, maxing out their credit cards to design and build two classic, Craftsman-style town houses on a vacant lot in the Central District. The town houses sold for $395,000 and $425,000—about $100,000 more each than Pardo and Biddle expected—after only three days on the market.

 
A scant three years later, Pardo and Biddle’s team of two has grown to more than 40 employees who help them churn out about 400 projects a year, about 40 (120 total units) of which the firm also builds. “But [our first town houses] are the only classic homes we’ve done,” says Biddle. “All of our work is very modern, inside and out. We provide a contemporary, refined aesthetic not commonly found [in town houses].” 

 

A firm focus is building on urban infill spaces—spaces that might otherwise be left vacant. “[Increasing] density is essential,” says Biddle. “It helps create unique communities and is also good for the environment because it means fewer cars on the roads.” A recent infill project, completed in February 2007, is Alexander Residences, four sleek town houses in the heart of the Central District that unite loft elements—including vertical lift windows and steel open-riser stairs—with luxury amenities such as granite countertops. (As well as their town house specialty, the firm builds eye-catching single-family residences, including a Queen Anne project that in November garnered a 2007 Award of Commendation from the AIA Seattle.)

 

Building in emerging Seattle neighborhoods is also elementary for Pb Elemental. Says Pardo, “We believe you can help a community grow through new, high-quality spaces with design elements all the way through. Design should be for everyone in a city.”

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REMODEL
PRIDE OF PLACE
CHERYL HUGHES HAS A TALENT FOR COAXING CHARACTER FROM EXISTING HOMES

 

The common denominator of Hughes Studio Architects’ custom remodels and additions is that there is no common denominator. “I never want people to look at a house and say, ‘that’s a Hughes Studio project.’ I don’t believe in trademarks,” remarks founder Cheryl Hughes, who also designs new construction and commercial buildings. Instead, the firm focuses on expanding upon the character of each home they revamp.

 

One example is a blandly modern Mercer Island home built in 1982, which “featured pink tones on most surfaces,” says Hughes. Along with improving the livability of the bathrooms, kitchen and other living areas, “We gave the home a [contemporary] Pacific Rim character.” She adds, “Every house has its own unique opportunities. We look at the best parts and elaborate on them. I consider some of our best [remodel] work to be the houses where you can’t tell we’ve been there.” 

 

A Northwest native, Hughes graduated from the School of Architecture and Allied Arts at the University of Oregon and spent nearly a decade honing her craft in London and New York City before settling in Seattle in 1991. She founded her firm in 1995 with a determination to make client participation a priority. “I was tired of the way many residential architecture firms don’t respect their clients’ input and budgets,” she says. “[Our] clients are interesting, entertaining, fun people whom I see as partners. I would never act like I’m bestowing my fabulous notions on them.” 

 

Hughes’ collaborative approach definitely has built her business. “Every single one of our jobs has been through word of mouth,” she says.

 

HUGHES STUDIO ARCHITECTS, 820 JOHN ST., SEATTLE; 206.264.1301; HUGHES-STUDIO.COM TEAM: PRINCIPAL CHERYL HUGHES; FOUR STAFF ARCHITECTS. STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING FIRM: PERBIX BYKONEN; 206.264.7784; PXBYK.COM REMODELING ADVICE: SAYS HUGHES, “DON’T WORRY IF AN ARCHITECT OR BUILDER HASN’T DONE A PROJECT EXACTLY LIKE YOURS...IT’S MORE IMPORTANT THAT YOU WORK WELL TOGETHER...OTHERWISE, YOU WON’T GET THE PROJECT YOU HOPE FOR.”