Best of Home 2009: Top Architects
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Local designers and developers’ creative spaces
Dwell Development/Dwell Design (3916 S Americus St., Seattle; 206.683.7595; dwelldevelopment.net)
Infill building—building homes between existing structures—is an important factor in increasing the density of urban communities. However, equally important is that these projects be sensitively integrated into neighborhoods, so that they complement, rather than clash with, surrounding homes. Enter Dwell Development (and its sister firm Dwell Design), a boutique design/build firm founded by local developer Anthony Maschmedt in 2005, which is dedicated to creating homes that are a positive addition to the community. Pervading design themes are open, flexible layouts, the use of ecologically sound materials, ample indoor-outdoor connections and low-maintenance landscaping.
Dwell is bringing its smart, contemporary single- and multi-family residences (designed by staff architect Julian Weber) to Seattle’s walkable neighborhoods, such as Columbia City (soon to enjoy easy access to the new light-rail system). Dwellings recently raised in Columbia City include a 3,100-square-foot, three-level single-family home, recently listed for $1,095,000; and three 1,200-square-foot townhouses, each equipped with a one-car garage; at press time, one had sold and the other two were listed in the mid-$400,000s.
HyBrid Architects (1205 E Pike St. Suite 2D, Seattle; 206.267.9277; hybridseattle.com)
There’s an emerging type of urban dwelling that’s durable, flexible, portable, inexpensive and even good for the planet.
“Cargotecture”—a building system that turns reclaimed shipping-cargo containers into sustainable modular homes, shops and living/working spaces—is a term coined in 2003 by Seattle architects Joel Egan and Robert Humble of HyBrid. Egan and Humble came up with the concept while presenting “Cargotown,” their vision for an industrial waterfront live/work community composed of movable cargo containers, to the City of Seattle and Allied Arts.
Cargotecture since has evolved into about a dozen pre-designed dwellings, including storage spaces, workshops and small houses, ranging from around $40,000 to $200,000 (the firm also collaborates with clients on custom designs). Available designs include a 160-square-foot surf shack, built for a surfing enthusiast who wanted a simple place to sleep, cook and store his boards on his property in Ocean Shores, and a 384-square-foot artist studio, built to house a Portland couple’s electronic and pottery hobbies. HyBrid makes the repurposed containers (which reuse industrial waste) even greener by incorporating eco-friendly elements, such as solar panels and rainwater-collection systems.
Hutchison & Maul (Seattle; 206.545.1991; hutchmaul.com)
Seattle architects Robert Hutchison and Tom Maul are well known for their hip workspaces, such as studios and garden sheds: and with good reason. A prime example of the duo’s creative stylings is the structurally unsound two-car garage to which they gave new life in 2006, by transforming it into a unique 450-square-foot art studio. Two days before the project was scheduled to begin, the architects drilled hundreds of holes in the walls and roof of the dilapidated garage and out-fitted some of them with colored acrylic rods, creating an experimental art project and a cool space for a predemo-day party. The end result is just as creative: a cantilevered concrete slab and cantilevered wood frame enabled Hutchison and Maul to reuse the original foundation while maximizing space in the art studio. Jennifer Schaefer
Local designers and developers’ creative spaces
Dwell Development/Dwell Design (3916 S Americus St., Seattle; 206.683.7595; dwelldevelopment.net)
Infill building—building homes between existing structures—is an important factor in increasing the density of urban communities. However, equally important is that these projects be sensitively integrated into neighborhoods, so that they complement, rather than clash with, surrounding homes. Enter Dwell Development (and its sister firm Dwell Design), a boutique design/build firm founded by local developer Anthony Maschmedt in 2005, which is dedicated to creating homes that are a positive addition to the community. Pervading design themes are open, flexible layouts, the use of ecologically sound materials, ample indoor-outdoor connections and low-maintenance landscaping.
Dwell is bringing its smart, contemporary single- and multi-family residences (designed by staff architect Julian Weber) to Seattle’s walkable neighborhoods, such as Columbia City (soon to enjoy easy access to the new light-rail system). Dwellings recently raised in Columbia City include a 3,100-square-foot, three-level single-family home, recently listed for $1,095,000; and three 1,200-square-foot townhouses, each equipped with a one-car garage; at press time, one had sold and the other two were listed in the mid-$400,000s.
HyBrid Architects (1205 E Pike St. Suite 2D, Seattle; 206.267.9277; hybridseattle.com)
There’s an emerging type of urban dwelling that’s durable, flexible, portable, inexpensive and even good for the planet.
“Cargotecture”—a building system that turns reclaimed shipping-cargo containers into sustainable modular homes, shops and living/working spaces—is a term coined in 2003 by Seattle architects Joel Egan and Robert Humble of HyBrid. Egan and Humble came up with the concept while presenting “Cargotown,” their vision for an industrial waterfront live/work community composed of movable cargo containers, to the City of Seattle and Allied Arts.
Cargotecture since has evolved into about a dozen pre-designed dwellings, including storage spaces, workshops and small houses, ranging from around $40,000 to $200,000 (the firm also collaborates with clients on custom designs). Available designs include a 160-square-foot surf shack, built for a surfing enthusiast who wanted a simple place to sleep, cook and store his boards on his property in Ocean Shores, and a 384-square-foot artist studio, built to house a Portland couple’s electronic and pottery hobbies. HyBrid makes the repurposed containers (which reuse industrial waste) even greener by incorporating eco-friendly elements, such as solar panels and rainwater-collection systems.
Hutchison & Maul (Seattle; 206.545.1991; hutchmaul.com)
Seattle architects Robert Hutchison and Tom Maul are well known for their hip workspaces, such as studios and garden sheds: and with good reason. A prime example of the duo’s creative stylings is the structurally unsound two-car garage to which they gave new life in 2006, by transforming it into a unique 450-square-foot art studio. Two days before the project was scheduled to begin, the architects drilled hundreds of holes in the walls and roof of the dilapidated garage and out-fitted some of them with colored acrylic rods, creating an experimental art project and a cool space for a predemo-day party. The end result is just as creative: a cantilevered concrete slab and cantilevered wood frame enabled Hutchison and Maul to reuse the original foundation while maximizing space in the art studio. Jennifer Schaefer
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