Seattle Architect pursues passive house certification with missing-middle housing on Lake Union

Echo on Eastlake apartments is pursuing Passive House certification, with early design and feasibility studies complete on the new 10-unit apartment building in Seattle’s Lake Union neighborhood.

This building will replace an existing single-family structure in this residential urban village, adding missing-middle housing. It utilizes the stacked flats concept which pushes the bounds of the single-family envelope but maintains an urbanism-friendly street frontage. There is one central stair and no shared walls. And, the two homes on the ground floor are both fully accessible.

Six-to-twelve-plexes offer a superior urban experience, more housing units, more housing variety, and at least some fully accessible housing units. They also may preserve more tree canopy, increase open space, and optimize daylight compared to townhomes.

More to come in the months ahead.

TEAM
Developer: West Crescent Advisors, LLC
Owner’s Representative: Woodworth Construction Management LLC @woodworth_built
Architect: CAST architecture
Builder: Carrig Construction
Civil Engineer: Davido Consulting Group
Landscape Architect: Karen Keist Landscape Architects
Arborist:  Moss Studio
Geotechnical Engineer: Pangeo, Inc.
Surveyor: Terrane
Structural Engineer: Harriott Valentine Engineers
Envelope Consultant: B.E.E Consulting

Seattle architect hiring

Current Opportunities:
Design Associate with 2+ years of experience
AND
Project Architect/Manager with 5+ years of experience

CAST Architecture is a Seattle-based firm with extensive experience designing contemporary spaces throughout the Northwest. Specializing in modern and sustainable projects, the firm is committed to improving the lives of individuals, families, and the community through vibrant and thoughtful design. We are inspired by collaboration, intend on crafting timeless, high-performance buildings, and are committed to positive social outcomes.

Our studio environment is friendly and low-key. We enjoy working collaboratively and actively foster a team approach in all of our endeavors. We pride ourselves in promoting a healthy work/life balance and passions and interests outside the office. While we’d love to have everyone in the office working together, we support flexible remote-work scheduling.  

DESIGN ASSOCIATE

Job Description
The candidate will work under the leadership of a licensed architect/project manager and will assist with all aspects of the design and production of residential, commercial, and public architectural works. Additional duties will include general administrative tasks and assisting with the production of marketing materials as needed.

Experience with documentation and delivery is a big plus. We’re always working on several tenant improvements, early learning centers, and custom residential work that require collaboration, creativity, and attention to detail.

Qualifications

• First and foremost you are an exceptional designer who excels working in a collaborative and creative environment

• A ‘can do’ work attitude on all tasks from the mundane to the extraordinary

• Solid verbal, written, and graphic communication skills

• A well-rounded understanding of the technical aspects of architectural design including materials use, construction techniques, and construction details

• A Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in architecture or interior design from an accredited university is required

Technical skills

• Proficient with architectural BIM software, preferably ArchiCAD (Note – we do not use Revit/AutoCAD). We will train if you don’t have ArchiCAD experience but are ready to learn.

• Familiar with Affinity/Adobe design products, Bluebeam, and Microsoft Office.

• Capable of producing high-quality renderings with Lumion is a plus but not required.

Benefits

• Flexible schedule, remote work

• Competitive compensation

• 401K+3% employer match

• Health, dental, and vision insurance

• Overtime pay

• Annual bonus

• Support for professional development and certifications

Submit a cover letter, resume, and samples of design work digitally to employment@castarchitecture.com. We will review and contact applicants on a rolling basis in January.

PROJECT ARCHITECT/MANAGER

Job Description
The immediate need is to work on a range of housing projects, including affordable multifamily, market-rate infill, custom houses, and institutional projects.  Our projects are staffed with small fluid teams, usually with a principal, project architect and one or more design associates. After a collaborative schematic design, the project architect leads design development, consultant coordination, construction documents, permitting, and construction administration, while managing additional staff as necessary to complete the project.

Qualifications

• First and foremost you are an exceptional designer who excels working in a collaborative and creative environment

• A ‘can do’ cooperative attitude

• Highly organized project management

• Solid verbal, written, and graphic communication skills

• A well-rounded understanding of the technical aspects of materials, methods, energy use, and construction details

• 5+ years experience

• A Bachelor's or Master's degree in architecture from an accredited university is required

Technical skills

• Proficient with architectural drafting software, preferably ArchiCAD (Note – we do not use AutoCAD).  We will train if you don’t have ArchiCAD experience but are ready to learn. 

• Proficient with Bluebeam, and Microsoft Office suite. 

• Capable of producing high-quality renderings with Lumion would be a huge plus but not required

• Certification in Passive House or LEED, energy modeling, and experience with sustainable construction systems and methods.

Benefits

• Flexible schedule, remote work

• Competitive compensation

• 401K+3% employer match

• Health, dental, and vision insurance

• Overtime pay

• Annual bonus

• Support for professional development and certifications

Submit a cover letter, resume, and samples of design work digitally to employment@castarchitecture.com. We will review and contact applicants on a rolling basis in January.

No phone calls or hand-delivered applications, please.

Seattle Architect CAST partners with The BLOCK Project

CAST has partnered with The BLOCK Project which builds fully equipped, healthy homes for people experiencing homelessness.  

We are excited to have just permitted our second BLOCK Project home!

BLOCK Homes are permitted and placed in homeowners' backyards throughout Seattle. This model gives residents a place to call home and our communities an opportunity to make a real difference in supporting our unhoused neighbors and addressing the issue of homelessness together.

Their mission: To inspire deliberate relationship building and community engagement as a pathway to ending homelessness.

www.the-block-project.org
@facinghomelessness

Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe’s Hatchery & Beach Shelter Construction Progress

Kingston, Washington

The new building will house office and utility space for the @portgamblesklallams salmon hatchery program and a separate open-air structure used by the Tribe’s commercial fishing operations.

Salmon hatchery operations require a constant flow of clean streamwater. The project includes a new earthen dam and water intake structure in the adjacent ravine that provides reliable flow at a constant pressure. Downstream, equipment housed within the building filters the water and regulates its oxygen content before supplying it to the indoor incubation tanks and outdoor fish runs.

Salmon fishing is central to the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe’s traditional identity and its contemporary outlook. This project seeks to recognize the cultural importance of both the place—a focal point of their history—and the program, while providing solutions to allow these activities to flourish in the 21st century. 

Learn more about the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe.

TEAM
Architect: CAST architecture
Contractor: www.paccivil.com
Geo-tech: Robinson Noble
Structural: SSF
MEP: Glumac
Civil: Cannon
Landscape Architect: Pacific Landscape Architecture
Archeologist: Willamette Cultural Resources
Survey: AES Consultants
Intake System Engineer: Kleinschmidt Group
Specifications: Applied Building Information
Windows: @jeldwenusa  www.dahlglass.com

See more about the Hatchery project here.

Seattle Architect CAST designs affordable housing in the Methow Valley

Winthrop, Washington

ON THE BOARDS — The Housing Authority of Okanogan County’s new Wildrose Apartments will provide 22 new affordable housing units targeted at families earning 30% of Area Median Income. Homes will be a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, accommodating families, seniors, and young adults. A major design goal of the project is to achieve a high-level of integration between the apartments and the surrounding neighborhood of affordable single-family homes being simultaneously developed by the Methow Housing Trust.

The apartments are distributed into three 2-story structures surrounding two sides of a large commons that serves both communities. Both upper and lower units provide outdoor space facing the park, energizing the open space with many sources of activity around its perimeter. The footprint and envelope of each building is kept simple to reduce cost; secondary porches and balconies add visual interest while providing solar shading and weather protection.

Housing Authority of Okanogan County’s mission:
Assisting residents of Okanogan County to acquire and retain affordable housing while strengthening our communities by removing barriers, empowering dignity, and building trust.
www.okanoganhousing.org

See more: www.castarchitecture.com/wildrose-apartments

Courtney W. Banker’s report Making “Plexible” Projects Possible includes research and examples from Seattle architect Matt Hutchins

Missing Middle Housing — Why Stacked Flats?

Stacked Flats push the bounds of the single-family envelope but maintain an urbanism-friendly street frontage. 6-/12-plexes offer a superior urban experience, more housing units, more housing variety, and at least some fully accessible housing units. In Matt Hutchins’s design approach, 6-/12-plexes also preserve more tree canopy, increase open space, and optimize daylight compared to townhomes.

Stacked flats can feature one or even four fully accessible units on the ground floor—without the need for an elevator (a significant cost too burdensome for most small-scale projects). They are a powerful incremental development strategy that can be replicated to result in substantial change, helping neighborhoods grow with more sustainable land uses, urban-supportive density, and accessible housing units.

This report builds on prior efforts to promote missing middle housing in Austin, Texas, leverages interviews with 23 local and national experts, and employs financial modeling of for-rent projects to identify the key barriers facing stacked flats.

The report is at the University of Texas Scholar Works: https://repositories.lib.utexas.edu/handle/2152/115590

@Courtney Banker
@Matt Hutchins AIA CPHD

Mazama Public House at the north end of Washington’s Methow Valley

mazama public house in the Methow valley community

The Mazama Public House is set to become the gathering spot for the community of Mazama, at the north end of Washington’s Methow Valley. Oriented toward Goat Peak mountain views, the 1,868 square foot public house is designed to seat 56 and another 50 outside with built-in benches on the four-season covered patio.

An expansive three-door door system opens in the summer months for a seamless connection to the outdoor decks. The indoor area incorporates performance space, and the large garage doors allow for flexibility and increased seating capacity. The height of the shed roof and the expansive windows on two sides are sited to take advantage of natural light and views. The interior features wood beams punctuated by blackened steel and concrete floors. Custom tables and bar slabs were crafted from locally sourced Douglas-fir. Outside, blackened steel will accent the wood structure. The siding is a dark-stained, rough-sawn vertical channel shiplap.

See more on our website.

Photos by: Benjamin Drummond Photography www.benjandsara.com

Jansen Court missing-middle housing in the Capitol Hill neighborhood of Seattle.

Seattle architect designs missing-middle housing

Jansen Court Apartments is a Built Green 4-Star 10-unit studio apartment building on the back of a 30’ parcel in Capitol Hill, preserving a turn-of-the-century house in the front yard.

With a single stair, this 4-story apartment building was quite the puzzle -- the complexity of regulations are magnified on a small project. Each level is different, with a basement, typical story, vaulted story, and unit with roof access. They're small, 400-600 SF, but nicely livable spaces.

And, it’s in Capitol Hill with a pretty street and bustling neighborhood. Walk Score: 92!

CAST is closely associated with efforts to improve housing affordability through increasing the “missing middle” moderate density infill within existing neighborhoods.

Photo credit: @lensit.studio

El Centro Roosevelt’s bright and welcoming entry

Feasibility and design in early learning education

Our region is suffering from a significant childcare shortage. The Washington Child Care Collaborative Task Force estimates the total childcare capacity in King County has declined by over 25% since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. This created wide-ranging consequences throughout the economy, delaying the ability of parents to return to full-time employment. As the direct impacts of the pandemic fade, many childcare providers now seek to increase their capacity either through construction of new facilities or expansion of existing ones.

 Early Childhood Education (ECE) is governed by sets of overlapping regulatory requirements. This article aims to provide a brief overview of some of the most important considerations in feasibility and early design phases.

Building-scale Considerations

There are important features inherent to the space itself that cannot be easily added. These requirements must be factored into the cost model for construction, and into a decision for leased space. The following is based on the requirements of the Washington State Building Code (WBC) and the State of Washington Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) Childcare Licensing Guidelines.

·  Childcare centers are typically a Group-E occupancy; sprinklers are required. Lack of sprinklers is a common red flag in early feasibility analysis.

·  Classrooms for children younger than 30 months must be on the ground floor and must each have an exit door directly to the exterior. Classrooms for children between 30-60 months in age may be no higher than one story above grade and may share common exit pathways. 

·  It is important to verify the proposed space will comply with the requirements of Chapter 5 of the WBC. Group-E occupancies have a smaller allowable area and higher occupancy-separation requirements than other uses in the same type of construction.

ECE Center Considerations

DCYF will license a center for maximum number of children, based on an operating plan that maintains certain ratios of adults to children all times. It is important the design does not unintentionally reduce the allowable number of children or increase the required staff count by misinterpreting DCYF regulations

·  One important example is the minimum area per child. The WBC sets out an Occupancy Load Factor of 35 s.f.; the parallel requirement under DCYF is also 35 s.f. per child. However, DCYF only considers space that is accessible to children at all times. Areas of the room that are considered occupiable under the WBC - such as a teacher’s work desk or a locked cabinet containing art supplies - are excluded from DCYF’s area calculations. 

·  A classroom for 20 children must be designed for at least 22 or 23 persons, since the adult caregivers must also be included in the calculation. For feasibility planning, we have found that if we assume 50 s.f. per child, the final design will comfortably accommodate the planned student count.

·  A minimum of 75 s.f. of outdoor play areas must also be provided, and this area must also include the caregivers. While a single play area can be shared between multiple classrooms, large centers will need to carefully schedule such shared use. Creative alternatives such as walking to a local park may substitute for dedicated outdoor play areas, but these require increased staff levels and are reviewed on a case-by-case basis by DCYF.

·  Current DCYF practices require a large number of plumbing fixtures.
- Separate single-occupant restroom(s) for adult use
- Child toilet rooms with child-height sinks and toilets; with both assisted and semi-private toileting
- Adult-height handwashing sink at building entrance
- Child-height handwashing sinks at each classroom entrance
- Bottle-fillers at each classroom and at outdoor play area
- Adult-height handwashing sink at food distribution area, even if food is prepared elsewhere
- Adult-height handwashing sink at diaper-changing areas within arm’s reach of changing table

·  Kitchen facilities must be carefully considered in the center’s plan for operation. While ECE kitchens are generally not required to be licensed as commercial kitchens, DCYF personnel review them using Department of Health guidelines. 
- Use commercial-type refrigeration with continuous temperature display on the exterior.
- Any on-site food preparation beyond distributing pre-prepared items on disposable plates will require a dedicated kitchen space with separate hand-washing, food preparation, and three-compartment dishwashing sinks.
- Some types of hot food preparation can be accommodated with residential-grade cooking and ventilation equipment, this will significantly limit potential menus. Any operations utilizing grilling or frying will require installation of a full Type-II commercial range hood. This can be impossible in a space not designed for it from the ground-up.

El Centro de la Raza’s new Early Learning Center at Cedar Crossing classroom

Classroom-level Considerations

Good design can help reinforce the mission of the center. This covers a lot of potential ground, but here are a few areas where we often focus attention:

Clarity of wayfinding is critical for young children and is often a challenge within an irregular tenant space. If the layout must be complex, color, lighting, and material changes can give each group of classrooms its own identity. Larger gathering nodes outside classrooms can accommodate busy student dropoff and pickup.

Many designers associate ECE with bright primary colors; keep in mind, that classrooms will be filled with a huge variety of educational materials and children’s projects in a rainbow of shades. Letting the architecture create a clean, muted backdrop helps organize the inevitable chaos.

Understand the routines of a child's day and let those guide your design. Snacks and meals will be served and eaten in a certain way. If the classroom doesn't have a designated place for folding or stacking mattresses, they will take up a corner of the room that is not available for playtime. If a cozy space for reading or quiet play isn't inherent in the geometry of the room, create one with casework, furniture, or a change in lighting or ceiling height.

Many different elements must be balanced to achieve a successful ELC design. Details aside, the most important element is to really get to know your client and their operation. It is hard to go wrong by listening carefully to the teachers who spend all day in the classroom.

Forrest Murphy, LEED AP BD+C, Principal at CAST architecture
Forrest has spent much of his career helping non-profit and institutional clients balance programmatic and strategic goals with technical and budgetary realities.

First published in the Daily Journal of Commerce’s Special Section on Education, September 2022.

Photos by: Cheryl McIntosh at Quanta Collectiv

SEATTLE architect MAXIMIZES lakefront SITE

This full renovation adds space to support dynamic family life—places to work, play, entertain, and exercise. Programmatic additions include a second-floor music room and a third-floor family/media area opening up through a ghost door to expansive views, a kitchenette, a small gym, an office, and a pocket art studio. A bright, double-volume wall of glass in the staircase seamlessly connects floors and is topped with a skylight.

The kitchen’s neutral palette includes soft-close, white oak cabinets with custom panel details, honed quartz countertops, and a solid surface backsplash. A landing on the second floor offers a special moment to enjoy the green roof, with abundant daylight from glazing and a skylight, before entering the music room.  Glazing and outdoor living spaces allow the architecture to feature the views of Lake Washington.

Interior Design: Hyde Evans Design
Built: Align Builds
Photos by: Andrew Giammarco

See more here.