Seattle’s urban infill

CAST is closely associated with efforts to moderate density infill within existing neighborhoods in Seattle. Working with two families in parallel, we designed a duo of townhomes near Lake Union. Considerable attention was given to how the facades were grouped, and the way color and pattern emphasized vertical proportions while keeping surfaces in scale. We stitched together spaces between five floors while accommodating the structure needed for multi-level cantilevers over the parking areas. Thoughtful window openings bring lots of natural light and privacy within this tight city lot.

Icicle Creek Retreat, Wenatchee Forest Washington

Design for snow country

The straight-forward roof of Icicle Creek Cabin is made for its environment. We kept it simple and avoided complex shapes—a roof that holds snow reduces the chance of slough off and provides an energy-saving bonus. Deep eaves and generous covered entries and walkways help keep outdoor circulation free of ice, reduce shoveling, and simplify living.

See more: Icicle Creek Cabin

Contractor: Warm Homes Construction, Aviathar Pemberton
Roofing: OJ Industries Roofing

siting the berm house in washington’s Methow valley

Bermed into a meadow, the Berm House has a low profile and opens to the valley panorama of mountains and agricultural fields. The south-facing building orientation optimizes passive heating, and the large overhang protects from snowfall and intense summer sun. The home is post and beam structure with a cross-laminated timber (CLT) roof, prefabricated in northeastern Washington. Thermal bridges are minimized by wrapping the house in continuous external insulation, including under the foundation, isolating the home from outdoor temperature swings. The bermed roof, with 12-inches of soil, adds thermal mass and protection from weather exposure.

Seattle’s university cooperative school charrette

A fact of life: community-centered work takes a long time—often five or more years—to turn projects from dream into reality. A shared vision created and owned by the stakeholders is the solid foundation that sustains the project through the inevitable challenges and transitions of this long gestation. One of the main tools we use to help develop this vision is the Community Design Workshop, often called a “charrette.”

CAST architecture is working with University Cooperative School to expand its space in the historic Maxwell Building. Developing such a vision was the focus of our recent workshop with teachers and staff. The group’s excitement coalesced around the concept for a central space we are calling "The Hive," a versatile, warm, and inviting student commons where kids of all ages can cross paths for both structured and unstructured activities.

During the charrette, we used a series of guided design exercises to draw out feedback: a brainstorming discussion; a walkthrough of the unfinished space with the main room dimensions laid out on the floor with tape; a game where participants voted on the appeal of various inspiration images with colored stickers; and a facilitated sketching exercise to document the emerging consensus.

This may have been one of the easiest workshops we have facilitated. With some stakeholder groups, we need to work extra hard to ensure all voices are heard (not just the loudest ones). These elementary school teachers—long accustomed to consensus decision-making—were amazing to work with, ready to jump into each stage of the meeting with insightful comments and actionable suggestions. 

See more at the community section of our website.

El centro de la raza roosevelt early learning center

Construction progress! This side-by-side construction shot and rendering look down the central circulation spine at the José Martí Child Development Center, which connects the entry, classrooms, and outdoor play area. This new center will provide high-quality Early Childhood Education for 74 children.

A unique aspect of our involvement is that we've been part of the larger team since the early feasibility stage of the project, long before there was a specific childcare provider.

We have played a crucial role in shaping the evolving design of the overall building to ensure the space would be viable as an ELC. From big-picture design elements like the location of the play yard and the relationship of the main entrance to the sidewalk and courtyard; to detailed technical aspects, such as maintaining at-grade egress from toddler classrooms, we’ve provided clear direction to the evolving pieces of the larger building. We ensured the five floors of apartments above wouldn't impinge on the necessary duct and exhaust shafts that allow us to include a much-needed full commercial kitchen in the center.

CAST is proud to be part of the team for the Cedar Crossing affordable housing project, in partnership with El Centro de la Raza, Bellwether Housing, and Mercy Housing NW. On-site child care is an important component of the project, which co-locates resident services in the same building with family-sized housing units.

See more at El Centro de la Raza Roosevelt Early Learning Center.

Seattle home renovation

Many Seattleites fall in love with their walkable neighborhoods with tall trees and connection to water, trails, and views. They choose to renovate instead of moving when their family outgrows the home. Originally built in 1963, the full remodel of this split-level house brings an improved layout, more daylight, and updates for modern living.

As a welcoming feature, five-inch wide mahogany siding wraps from the exterior through to the entry. The warm, updated entrance also features floor-to-ceiling windows that flood the adjacent spaces with natural light. While the open staircase brings light into the basement it also emulates the alternating rise from the concrete stairs outside. Accent cove lights wash the ceiling and walls with light in the living and dining spaces.

Green design elements include a roof-top solar array, rainwater collection for irrigation, and pervious paving. The paving system includes a break in the pavement to allow for better drainage to reduce the amount of rain running down the rest of the driveway.

See more: Wedgewood Renovation

A new hatchery & beach shelter for the Port Gamble S’Klallams

On the beach at Point Julia where their village once stood, the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe’s Hatchery and Beach Shelter combines pragmatic uses with symbolic content. Salmon fishing is central to both the Tribe’s traditional identity and its contemporary outlook. This project recognizes the cultural importance of both the place and the program, while providing solutions for these activities to flourish in the 21st century.

Components:

• Two-story salmon hatchery

• Open-air structure shared by Tribal fishermen and the community

• Landscape restoration along the beach between structures

• Reorganization of the hatchery’s water intake system in the adjacent ravine

Point Julia is a prominent spit that protects Port Gamble Bay. This project area falls within a designated archaeological site that is both a busy workplace for the Tribe’s commercial fisherman and a popular recreation area. It is also the burial ground of their ancestors. Within this sensitive zone, we have limited the building footprint to areas already disturbed by prior construction.

In traditional Salish building in the intertidal zone, permanent poles fashioned from tree trunks were sunk deep into the sand, then clad with removable cedar planks. In a modern analogue, exposed auger-cast concrete piles support a lighter skin of glass, polycarbonate, and wood.

While minimizing excavation, elevating the hatchery on piles allows the lower level to withstand up to three feet of storm-driven tidal flooding. Flooding is predicted to become increasingly common as the effects of global climate change are felt locally. The lower level houses a garage, maintenance shop, and egg-incubation room with equipment that is both durable and moveable. The upper floor contains offices, water-quality testing, and filtration equipment. The spectacular conference room on the southwest corner can be entered separately, accessible to the wider community.

The second story of the hatchery emerges above Point Julia Drive at eye level to the road. Within the lantern of the enclosed porch, we are working with S’Klallam artist Jimmy Price to create a site-specific installation to mark this arrival point.

If the new hatchery forms a gateway to the beach from the landward side, the beach shelter is the Tribe’s front door on the sea. It will provide a work area for fishermen who pull their boats onto the beach and will also anchor the arrival of the annual Canoe Journey, the region’s most important inter-Tribal celebration. The shelter’s high roof encloses both hardscape and a generous slice of beach. Its oversized beams and exposed rafters make an explicit nod to traditional wood construction. A low-roofed plumbing core that echoes the hatchery houses hygienic cleaning sinks and the beach’s first public restrooms.

On the beach between the two structures, we will restore the native landscape in a way that continues to welcome the community. Existing paths are strengthened and the future pedestrian connection with the Tribal Center is initiated. Our experience of a summer afternoon on the beach with Tribal elders drives the landscape palette; along with salt-tolerant erosion control plantings, the beds reintroduce traditional edible and medicinal plants.

Rendering of the hatchery building

Rendering of the beach shelter, with the hatchery building in the distance

CAST ARCHITECTURE’s AWARD-winning Rainier Beach Urban farm ND WETLANDS

Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands Classroom Building has won an AIA Washington Council Civic Design Merit Award and an Honorable Mention from the AIA Seattle Honor Awards.

Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands (RBUFW) transformed a former City of Seattle seven-acre tree nursery into an urban agriculture center for a culturally diverse area of Seattle. Run by Tilth Alliance and Friends of Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands, the project inspires and educates people to safeguard our natural resources while building an equitable and sustainable local food system. Local food production for a neighborhood abundant with immigrant culture means refugees, who were forced to flee their homeland farms, now pass down food, farming traditions, and identity to the next generation through RBUFW. At the heart of the farm is the new Classroom Building. It brings together people from a full spectrum of cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.

The building program was a result of a community-driven process that led to the design of a flexible gathering space and a commercial kitchen for community meals and cooking demonstrations. In addition to monthly community dinners, kid’s summer camps, and a pay-what-you-can farmstand, RBUFW hosts fresh food related programs for community-supported agriculture, gardening, beekeeping, and food production.

The Classroom Building’s canopy is framed with parametric trusses that transition from convex to concave, wrapped in translucent polycarbonate. It cantilevers 24 feet to create a protected porch where the community can gather outdoors, regardless of the weather. To either side of the canopy, service boxes contain restrooms, storage, and the community kitchen. Situating the new building on a slope between two groves of trees at the edge of the site maximizes the arable land in front of the building and minimizes the building profile for the neighbors. Beyond the Classroom Building, RBUFW’s site was designed to include substantial wetland restoration, permaculture, greenhouses, over 30,000 square feet of in-ground farming, and composting and cold storage facilities. An original garden shed was renovated to create space for administration, restrooms, and a conference room.

Rainier Beach Urban Farm and Wetlands is a vibrant community hub for food, urban farming, and environmental education in the heart of Rainier Beach-- one of the most diverse zip codes in the nation. The 7.2 acres site is ½ dedicated to organic food production and ½ restored natural wetlands. They offer a variety of community education classes and workshops including growing and preserving your food and conserving our environment, plus volunteer opportunities for individuals and groups year-round.

As a vibrant working farm and environmental center, it provides 20,000 pounds of fresh produce thru CSAs and a pay what you can farmstand. The Good Food Bags program links local farms to consumers. A youth employment program prepares young people for agriculture careers. Community meals feed thousands every year. Nearly half the site is a wetland that has been painstakingly restored, removing invasive species and replanting thousands of wetland trees and shrubs.

Now that the new legislation is in place, it is time to upload an updated Quickstart Guide for 2019. Keep in mind that we couldn’t get too deep into the weeds here, so if you have questions, please contact us and we can walk you through the changes in more detail.

Link to PDF

Download it here: New Housing Options in Residential Small Lot (RSL) zone.