CYCLE HOUSE Seattle, Washington 2500 sf 18 bicycles. Two people. One house. This new ground-up urban infill residence is strategically located at the intersection of two major bike routes in the Mount Baker neighborhood of Seattle. The lot is narrow, but has lake and mountain views to the east. We sought to craft an efficient custom residence that uniquely represents the Owners personality and lifestyle within a realistic budget. Our clients, a very active couple, wanted a home that would not only have storage and maintenance space for their 18 bicycles, but would also be fun for entertaining through a strong connection to the exterior. They were very engaged in our design process, even providing us with scent vials meant to evoke sensibilities they wished to experience in their home- cool ocean, woody comfort, industrial, and balanced quiet/calm. They also gave us a metaphor of Iceland, which provided inspiration for a refined industrial, natural, and stark pallet of materials. The challenge was to create a cost efficient home where the couple could immerse themselves daily in their passions while still being energy efficient and low maintenance. We constrained the footprint to allow for a vertical home in order to capture the higher panoramic views, with the master bedroom on the top floor. Roof decks, wraparound fenestration, and open space orientation are meant to connect occupants to the site and make the house seem larger than it is. In regards to sustainability, functional design always comes first, but the house has some very sensible upgrades that increase efficiency and improve lifecycle costs. Hydronic heating is enhanced with a heat-recovery-ventilator, and coupled with passive cooling and spray foam insulation that exceeds code minimums. Consequentially, the house has very low energy costs. A thermal solar panel has been pre-plumbed to the roof. Furthermore, the bike commuting lifestyle is given more importance than the space required for the automobile. This is a real house for real people. Well proportioned and efficient open space, unexpected durable materials, and appropriate sustainability had to be innovatively incorporated into the design without the luxury of a cushioning large budget. At approximately $225 per square foot, this residence represents a model of attainable smart development for Seattle s future single family housing. It is also, we are told, a very inspiring place for our clients to work on bikes, cook, and read (when they are not throwing a party for their friends).
PLACE The site is situated at the intersection of two major bike paths and the I90 tunnel and bridge that connect downtown Seattle and downtown Bellevue. The house takes advantage of views over Lake Washington from Mount Baker to the north and Mount Rainier to the south. CONTEXT DIAGRAM
1 2 3 6 ECONOMY Painted fiber cement panel is the primary siding material, but we installed it in large horizontal lapped and a vertical board and batten configurations. Clear cedar is used only to articulate the volume housing the Main Floor public spaces. 4 5 1 OFFICE 2 UTILITY 3 BIKE SHOP 4 ENTRY 5 GARAGE 6 WORK YARD ground floor plan
STAIRWELL An illuminated translucent glacier nightlight rises 3 stories. Asphalt Plank flooring transitions to black stained reclaimed glulam stair treads. 1 2 3 6 4 6 5 CYCLE HOUSE 1 GUEST ROOM 2 GUEST BATH 3 KITCHEN 4 DINING 5 LIVING 6 HALL OFFICE 7 ROOF DECK main floor plan
2 3 4 1 5 MATERIALS The limited use of premium materials such as custom detailed blackened steel, translucent acrylic, and clear cedar add warmth and craft where it counts. 1 MASTER BATH 2 LAUNDRY 3 CLOSET 4 MASTER BEDROOM 5 ROOF DECK upper floor plan
14 2 3 1 11 12 3 7 12 13 15 5 10 4 8 6 9 ENERGY 1 passive cooling skylight ventilation 2 thermal solar panel 3 spray foam insulation 4 staple up hydronic heating 5 heat recovery ventilation ECONOMY 6 LED light wall connects all three levels 7 sliding glass doors as large operable windows 8 asphalt plank flooring 9 concrete slab on grade 10 reclaimed glu-lam treads EXPERIENCE 11 roof top deck 12 wraparound windows 13 reading nook 14 cedar ceiling 15 steel clad fireplace section diagram
CYCLE HOUSE BIKE SHOP An utilitarian space for the storage and maintenance of Martin and Shelley s bicycles. It opens out to an enclosed Work Yard for washing and drying the bikes.
ECONOMY Standard sliding glass doors were installed up to the ceiling to provide large window openings. Asphalt plank flooring is used throughout the upper floors to save cost.