Surber Barber Choate & Hertlein

Private Residence

Seattle, Washington

Type of Project:

An 8,000 square foot private residence on a secluded 8-acre site in the Pacific Northwest.

Architect's/Author's/Designer's statement concerning program, aesthetic
and functional design concept, and resolutions:

When asked by the Architect to supply adjectives describing their desires for their new house, the Clients responded with the paradoxical request for it to be both "modern" and "primitive". With regard to the site, they further requested that the architecture reflect and respond to the organic nature of its environment. Their functional requirements included open living, dining and kitchen areas, a library, recreation room, as well as four bedrooms and attendant bathrooms.

In the resulting design, the spaces were configured to strategically respond to the motion of the sun in order to receive natural light in desired spaces at desired times. The plan was further shaped to accommodate three large cedar trees in close proximity to the structure. The design solution employs a pallet of honestly expressed, often hand-wrought materials -- left exposed in their raw state, to evoke the Primitive. Such materials include poured-in-place concrete, stacked granite rubble, reclaimed timbers, steel window frames, unpainted plaster, and terne-coated stainless steel panels. The architectural forms are generated in a "modern" mode of defining space by the arrangement of planar surfaces. Further, the planes of concrete and steel are often "bent" (but always orthogonally) to make the precise nature of those materials more organic. Stone walls are often eroded to express the entropy possible within that material's nature. Finally, wood elements are used to visually weave together the planar forms. The distinction between interior & exterior is purposefully blurred as planes, forms, and elements extend out into the landscape. Further, the formal distinction between the horizontal & vertical is blurred as planes are bent and materials are used interchangeably between floors, walls, and ceilings.

Type of construction, Materials, Engineering Systems, and Technical
Information:

Most of the structure is provided by lightweight steel and wood framing supported by masonry and concrete bearing walls. Other structural support is provided by reclaimed heavy-timber posts and beams that are hand-planed to achieve irregular surfacing prior to through-bolted connection with steel plates. Exposed concrete floors contain a radiant heating system and concrete walls contain specially engineered two-sided pours around steel-reinforced insulation panels, allowing adequate thermal protection at exposed concrete walls with simultaneous interior and exterior faces.

Completion: 2000

Awards:
   Atlanta AIA, Honors, 2004
   Georgia AIA Design Award of Excellence, 2002 (Stables & Artist's Studio)
   Georgia AIA Design Award of Excellence, 2001 (House)
   Washington Chapter, American Concrete Institute, Award of Excellence, 2000

All Images © James F. Housel Photography