The Wells Fargo Bank at the corner of NE 45th and University Way in Seattle’s U-District re-appropriates the previous grand entry with the modern day interface of banking; the cash machine. Flanked by corinthian columns and it’s own marble clock, this must be the most architecturally celebrated ATM machine in town.

This signage at 145th and Highway 99 is visually more prominent than the restaurant beneath it. The ambitious cantilever and precise steel work of the sign make the restaurant look clumsy and dull – it’s as if the sign is the attraction and the restaurant is the visual noise that you have to put up with.

A church on Ravenna Boulevard is one of the first examples of a rain-screen system we know of in the Pacific Northwest. It impressed us because the unknown building, cloaked with 2×2 wood slats, boldly took on the concept before rain-screens even had a name around here.

Also along Ravenna Boulevard is some of the most well disciplined graffiti we’ve seen. The artist left the brick entirely alone and only tagged the temporary wood barricades creating a handsome framing for the street art. It’s as if the graffiti vandalized the very notion of graffiti.

During construction of this 35 story tower, the notation of each floor level was left exposed and in view from the street. The composition created a huge vertical ruler downtown to measure the neighboring buildings.

This stainless steel corner was added to the building at Virginia between 5th and 6th Avenues after deliver trucks continued to hit the marble corner. It’s become a sort of armor to the building. Accidental as it may be, it’s one of our favorite details on the otherwise bland building.

Betty Paige flanks the side of this residence just off the 65th street exit on I-5 north. While controversial in the neighborhood, we smile every time we pass it.

All but one house sold to a large developer in this Ballard neighborhood creating a scene right out of Pixar’s ‘UP’.

This abandoned Tubs was conquered by some very talented graffiti artists and now feels much more legitimate than it did during its previous life of renting hot tubs by the hour.

The Fremont Troll who lives underneath the Aurora Bridge still grasping the 1959 beetle it caught.

Sometimes the most interesting design work on a project occurs after the architect has left the scene. When the punch list is complete, after the furniture has been placed, once the owners have had a chance to kick the tires on their new home.

We noticed this on our Park Modern project and it’s a good time to give a shout-out to some design ideas that are pleasing and synergistic to the building’s architecture. They’re also great modern design elements for your own home or project.

Built-in cabinetry
This super clever book storage idea uses bent steel plate, pre-drilled to accept lag-screws which mount to the walls studs. The finished composition accommodates a large amount of books and shows them off with a pleasing aesthetic. The concept works great with long clean hallways.

A wall-hung fir cabinet houses a low-profile fire box made by Ecosmart Fire. The stainless steel shield, added to the wall behind the ventless fire-box, protects the wall from the heat and gives off a nice glow. The cabinet provides mega-storage for A/V equipment, toys and books. The counter-top also makes an excellent staging ground for action figure battles. Painting by Erika Eckert.

Full height cabinets outfit this walk-in closet and provide storage for clothing and shoes. The concept uses the textures and colors of clothing as an element of design, rather than concealing the clothing behind closed doors.

These bookshelves allow the books to become a feature within the room and tie into a lower cabinet which acts as display space.  Paintings by Lagom.

7A lamp designed by Noguchi and available at Akari, Nest birdhouse designed by Gary Cruce and available at Arcamita.

Site-specific cabinets
This sitting bench, designed to fit a specific nook, accommodates A/V equipment and provides overflow seating. The door and drawer pulls are concealed below the panels for a clean look and unencumbered function. The piece was built in oak by Special Projects Division LLC.

To accommodate a live/work space, 2 kids, and an active lifestyle this island cabinet was designed and constructed by SPD to serve many functions and remain flexible over time.

Mobile cabinets
The SPD Sideboard mobile bar was produced in bamboo for this home application. In addition to a serving station for libations the cabinet is a convenient drop sort area.

Fixed furnishing
This magnetic photo wall is a ton of fun for the family and becomes an outstanding conversation piece.

A reclaimed school chalkboard becomes the main feature of this kitchen. The surface is useful for grocery lists, dinner menus and the occasional design schematics.

These wall stickers by Ferm Living create instant pop in a room and allow for play between nature and the built form or traditional vs. modern.

Mobile furnishings
Metal planter boxes from CB2 allow city dwellers to get a bit of green and plant herb gardens. The orthogonal geometry also fits nicely with the modern architecture.

These deck chairs, designed by Studiomama and made from reclaimed wood palettes, turn this outdoor living space into a lounge area. Modeling by the Job Mob.

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All photos by BUILD LLC

This time of year we like to escape the gloomy northwest and seek out the yellow rays of southern destinations. This time around we picked Miami for several reasons; the weather, the urban life, the design culture that’s been steadily growing, and Art Deco architecture. For today’s post we’re going to highlight some fantastic examples of Art Deco design and then we’re going to throw a bunch of BUILDblog opinion at it.

As designers of the current time, rooted in modern materials and methods, we were initially skeptical of the Art Deco philosophy. The design moves seemed flamboyant, the elevations overly glamorous.  Such lavishness so easily leads to pure decoration and we’re rarely fans of fashion in architecture. However, this was a different place, another culture and the buildings represent a different time. Before making up our minds about Art Deco there was a due diligence required of us. So we photographed these structures in the bright daylight, we shot them in the glowing neon nights, we drank coffee under their sheltering awnings, we dined in their grand restaurants, we drank martinis on their terraces, we thoroughly kicked the tires on Art Deco.  Our conclusion?

[Photo by BUILD LLC]

The Art Deco design philosophy is brilliant and necessary. We admire that the forms are derived from mathematical geometries and that the purpose of each and every element is still about function. It takes the efficiency of modern design and elevates it with a sense of determination.

[Photos by BUILD LLC]

Many characteristics of Art Deco, which seem superfluous at first glance, have a role in the function of the structure. Color bands identify the entry as a means of way-finding, the horizontal eaves create consistent horizontal bands and at the same time shelter the windows from the elements, stepped facades clearly indicate which portions of the building are public as opposed to the more subdued private areas.

[Photos by BUILD LLC]

The structural members are often allowed to play a role in the façade, expressed in high relief or with bold colors. Different portions of the building are also defined with geometrical differences.

[Photos by BUILD LLC]

Most of all we love the integration of the building and signage. That the graphic, logo or name is so often expressed sculpturally as an extension of the built-form is beautiful and sensible. Such elegance between building and appendage makes most structures with their applied signage seem clumsy and unrefined.

[Photo by BUILD LLC]

We could go on all day about how the composition of these buildings adds up, how the architecture makes sense to us.  But here’s the catcher, in order to understand and appreciate Art Deco we think these buildings need to be encountered and confronted. The philosophy of Art Deco has just as much to do with experience as it does with composition. These forms are about culture, life and spirit. You can study the elevation all day but without sipping an Americano on the veranda or having a mojito on the roof deck, it can’t be got. There is a fundamental study of architecture that comes not just from drawing lines and reading books, but from living amongst and being with inspiring design.

So have yourself a martini, experience some good design and have a great weekend.
Cheers from team BUILD

[Photo by BUILD LLC]

With structural engineering in our backgrounds, we’re crazy about bridges here at the BUILDblog. We’re also very lucky to have some incredible bridges right here in the neighborhood. The waterway connecting Lake Washington to the Puget Sound includes 7 bridges (8 if you include the walkway at the locks).  For today’s post we’re going to cover the five bridges that are dynamic in nature. What fascinates us most about these operable bridges is that they are designed, both structurally and functionally, in two completely different positions – horizontally and vertically. The engineering has to be worked out in two distinct, and possibly conflicting, scenarios.  Architecturally the structures change from a line on the horizon to a vertical mass the size of a small building. Imagine taking any piece of architecture, flipping it ninety degrees and having to reassess it all over again.

Salmon Bay Bridge,1914, 200 foot opening span, single-leaf bascule bridge

Ballard Bridge, 1917, 2,854 feet long, double-leaf bascule bridge

Fremont Bridge, 1917, 502 feet long, double-leaf bascule bridge

University Bridge, 1919, 218 foot opening span, double-leaf bascule bridge

Montlake Bridge, 1925, 344 feet long, double-leaf bascule bridge

It was a frequently used phrase by one of our professors back in school. What he meant by it was this; as architects and designers we’ll always be liable for everything except aesthetics. City planners will evaluate a project’s zoning and height restrictions. Building officials will scrutinize the structural and life-safety design. Inspectors will analyze the electrical, plumbing and mechanical systems. Health inspectors will scour over the food service requirements. From the sidewalk curb down to the energy efficiency of each and every window, there are codes to meet and agencies to satisfy. As a professional, you can be held liable for a daunting number of issues. How the building looks, however, is not one of them.

There is a powerful undercurrent to all of this. Since there aren’t any state or city agencies enforcing good aesthetics on designers, it is precisely the designers that become the guardians of aesthetics. No one is going to make us architects uphold a visual code, it’s up to us.

We appreciate the freedom from regulation of aesthetics and would find it awkward if an agency were enforcing codes in the realm of aesthetics. At the same time, the abundance of aesthetically negligent buildings in the built-environment is alarming, cover your children’s eyes so they don’t see it, threat level orange alarming.

Team BUILD recently went on a neighborhood walk-about and began documenting buildings that, in our opinion, are aesthetically negligent. As it turns out, there are key ingredients to the recipe of aesthetic negligence. Topping the list is the complete lack of any driving idea or concept. A close second is having no relationship to time (like the present one) or region (like the northwest).

Following close behind is the architectural movement known as “a mixture of various globbed on styles from bygone eras and distant places”. The inclusion of roofettes is high on our list as is stucco, which always seems to have a starring role in these buildings.

When these buildings actually include outdoor space they are peel-n-stick decks, jimmy-rigged to the outside. Even at the ground floor the connection to the sidewalk is vacant and the contribution to the street life is non-existent.

Most disturbing about these buildings is that, behind each and every one, is a licensed architect who at one point or another approved the drawings and stamped the permit set. Every one of these buildings was drawn up in elevation, unrolled on a professional architect’s desk and at some point they must have thought to themselves “yep, it’s finished, time to take this baby in for permit”. Dumbfounding.

In order to obtain a license in architecture, a minimum of 5 years of college level work is required at an accredited school of architecture. An additional 3 years of professional training is required under the supervision of a licensed architect. A nine part exam must then be passed prior to licensure. With all of the checks and balances along the way, it’s amazing that work this terrible is making it through the system. But contrary to rational thought, these buildings are flourishing, they’re popping up like weeds.

Our professor was right, you’ll never get sued for ugly. The evidence is everywhere and it would appear that the profession of architecture can no longer depend on it’s own process to ensure good design. As the guardians of aesthetics, if we fail to maintain a decent level of design in the built-environment, the freedom of design will gradually be taken over by review boards and covenants. Architects will lose the very authority that attracted most of us to design in the first place.

Real cities have industry. Real cities have grit. Real cities have places where steel gets machined, where cabinets get built, where cars and boats get fixed, where work gets done.

Gentrification can be great, unless it sweeps clean the breadth of a city, purging out the factories, lumber yards, steel shops and institutions necessary for an authentic city to function and be true to the resources it requires.

Like many cities, Seattle is becoming gentrified to a point of concern.  We’re going to pick on the neighborhood of Ballard today but, from what we’ve seen, our criticisms could be directed at just about any large city in the U.S. lately.  Originally an industrial part of town serving the fishing industry, Ballard developed the fabrication shops and trades necessary to work everything from steel to wood to concrete.  Ballard was the real deal; you could get the job done in Ballard.

Within the last decade the industry has come to a grinding halt, replaced by a wealth of restaurants so diverse it feels like a theme park <insert Disney analogy here>.  French -no problem try Bastille, Italian you say –head to Voltaire, Mexican –of the three possibilities it doesn’t get any better than La Carte de Oaxaca, Spanish tapas –you simply must try the Tortilla Española at Ocho, a wine bar – go to Portalis, Americana –King’s Hardware, Burlesque –got it, Thai –check, pub food –more than you can visit.  This is all on one street by the way.  In fact, every nationality we can think of is represented… except for the Scandinavians –Ballard’s original heritage.  Now we don’t want to fall into a grumpy Norwegian mindset – but isn’t this getting a bit out of hand?  Ballard, like most neighborhoods in well-to-do cities, no longer produces anything; it no longer serves a purpose outside of pleasure.

Hey we’re just as guilty as anyone – many a martini has been consumed in Ballard, not to mention that incredible steak frites at the French place.  But we’re also architects and builders and we rely on a diversity of wood shops, steel workers and concrete plants to do what we do.  As you go about your business this weekend we propose trying on a different filter –one of good old blue collar elbow grease and getting things done.  Cities don’t need to be gentrified to be beautiful, inspiring and forward thinking.  The photo above is the facade of Scott Galvanizing in Ballard (yup, that is the pretty side).  It’s in a great location and its quite likely that a line of boutique restaurateurs and condo developers are ready to pounce at any moment.  But for now, it’s real and it’s beautiful and we’re grateful that you can still get steel galvanized in Ballard.

Cheers to getting real work done.

So there we were, going six hundred and fifty miles per hour at thirty thousand feet in the air on a recent flight when we nearly spilled our martinis all over ourselves.  Turbulence you ask?  Nope – it was our eyes making contact with some incredibly provocative photography.  We had never before seen the work of JR, the anonymous and elusive Parisian photographer known for infiltrating dangerous slums around the world to install his large scale portraits.  Perhaps it was simply the shock of finding something so piercing in an in-flight magazine.  But the more we read and researched about the work, the more fascinating this bridge between architecture and photography became.  Work of this magnitude doesn’t need us and our words getting in the way of it – so we’re going to keep our traps shut, show the work and leave you with one question: Why does this work make the built-environment a better place?

We recently spent some time down in Monterrey Mexico, and although it’s the country’s third largest city, it seems relatively untraveled by foreigners.  Monterrey is a big city of 4 million inhabitants and subsequently it’s full of significant built work.  Most notable is the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo and the Hotel Camino Real, both designed by Ricardo Legorreta.

[MARCO photo by BUILD LLC]

[MARCO photo by jorge_ayala]

Both projects exemplify the architect’s dedication to simplicity and form.  On each project the building envelope gracefully filters natural light, water becomes a ceremonial presentation and the geometrical relationships are gratifying.  The bold colors of the exteriors provide pleasing contrasts to the bright blue skies; the interiors offer sleek sanctuaries that become canvases for culture and life.  In short, the experience of simply walking through these spaces is magnificent.  These are destination buildings, this is Architecture with a capital A.

[Camino Real photo by booked.net]

Over the years, the needs of a building change and, despite the importance of their design, these buildings are no exception.  In order to accommodate new technologies and additional amenities we found a number of unsettling appendages tacked on; a 3 level steel and glass walk-in wine cellar, elliptical floor to ceiling aquariums in the restaurant lobby and water tanks with bubble jets for visual effect at the bar.  In-and-of themselves none of these items were poorly designed, they were each clean and modern.  But added to the building together they gave the impression that someone had gone on a shopping spree to the Sharper Image to outfit the building with all the latest design trinkets.  The average person probably wouldn’t even notice the incongruence with the original architecture but those with a visual eye would most likely see the additions as unnecessary bling.

[Camino Real photo by booked.net]

[Camino Real photo by booked.net]

The Legorreta work brought up an important issue.  Given the need to evolve and adapt to meet the ever changing demands of society, how should architecture of this caliber be supplemented?  While the necessary modifications may extend beyond the original vision of the architect, additions to a building of this character shouldn’t adulterate the fundamental vision.  We see three possibilities:
A. Stay true to the architectural vision by not changing the appearance of the building (or cleverly hiding the new functions “behind” the architecture).
B. Hire the original architect to integrate the enhancements into the original work.
C. Hire a good architect (whether it’s the original architect or not) and make a clean break from the previous design.  The original design should be respected and maintained, the new work should pay homage to the original work by not getting in the way of it or copying it.

[MARCO photo by vicos]

We heard an interesting term on the radio the other day.  There was a discussion about opera and that the audience for opera in London is superior because they are “Actively Silent”.  The dialogue went on to explain that each and every person in the audience is also putting on a performance – one of silence.  Apparently it’s so quiet that you can hear a pin drop at the London Opera.  Because of this assembly of silence the, viewing of an opera in London is much more acute and highly refined.  In fact, it’s supposed to be bloody incredible.

Being design geeks, we immediately thought about how this term would be applied to architecture.  An element of design that is Actively Silent would have a function but would accomplish that function inconspicuously.  It would be everything it needs to be and nothing more, it would be a modest worker.

[Photo by Toshio]

To us, an example that best represents this idea is the water pools in the courtyard of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington D.C. designed by Foster + Partners.

[Photo by RobinandEd]

The pools are only about 1/8” of an inch deep.  Deep enough to allow the filled pools and their reflections to conceal the pool’s depth (or lack thereof). Shallow enough that when the water is shut off the empty pools disappear, they simply become part of the courtyard.  Brilliant.

[Photos by BUILD LLC]

There is no greater design blemish than an empty fountain, one that was clearly designed to look good only while containing water.  Foster’s move here is very intelligent – the observer can’t even tell when it’s empty.  Beautiful, clever and actively silent.  Good design that works hard and disappears when unnecessary is highly regarded here at the BUILDblog. Share your examples of active silence in design.

[Photo by Foster + Partners]

Buildable land is increasingly difficult to come by in Seattle, at the same time population growth continues and the needs of our built environment continue to evolve and expand.  It’s a great problem to have assuming that we solve it with maturity, intelligence and forward thinking.  Like many cities in the U.S. right now, we’re at a critical moment in terms of how our current decisions will accommodate the future (or how they might not…)

One of the residential strategies, that we think is a great solution for urban infill, is the Detached Accessory Dwelling Units (DADUs) – many cities have similar concepts by different names.  They’re also known as “Backyard Cottages” but that just sounds so old-fashioned and some of the applications are actually quite forward thinking.  Basically the Municipal Code allows homeowners in certain areas of the city to construct a small dwelling in their backyard.  As per the City of Seattle literature:

“To ensure the cottages fit within the neighborhood, the lot must be at least 4,000 square feet in area, with minimum width and depth requirements. The principal house and backyard cottage combined must not exceed the current 35% lot coverage limit for single family zones. The cottages can be no more than 800 square feet in area, with a height limit of 15 – 23 foot height depending on lot width, and parking is required.”

The dwelling can be rented out so long as the owner occupies the main house (or vice versa) which is a huge incentive.  This allows a home owner to play developer and landlord without having to purchase another parcel of land, thereby drastically reducing the risk.

It also allows homeowners to construct an office or studio space on the premises.  As the relationship between leisure and work continues to change and overlap, the DADU addresses our evolving society quite well.

Here at BUILD we’ve taken a look at a few DADU schemes in the past and it’s been a satisfying exercise to work through the design variables.  The images above explore a designer’s backyard studio to supplement an existing bungalow.  The scheme accommodates a fantastic view and incorporates a parking spot.  The steep grade allows for beneficial relationships between the grade of parking (determined by a rear alley) and ground plane of the unit.

Currently the program is limited to south-east Seattle and we’re big fans of the city expanding the allowance to other neighborhoods.  There are some very good resources on DADUs including the city’s Client Assistance Memo and the Guide to Building a Backyard Cottage.

There are a number of handsome DADUs in Seattle area (and elsewhere) – if you know of some thought provoking Detached Accessory Dwelling Unit’s send them our way – we’d love to give them some exposure.