G R O U N D B R E A K I N G at Wildrose Apartments in the Methow Valley. CAST is working with the Housing Authority of Okanogan County on the much-needed Wildrose Apartments in Winthrop, Washington. This complex will provide 22 new affordable housing units. Homes will be a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, accommodating families, seniors, and young adults.

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.

During our initial pre-design / Master Planning phase, we sought ways to consolidate the site plan by stacking units and minimizing auto circulation. This allowed us to create a communal open space almost three times larger than what was originally considered in the Feasibility phase.

TEAM
Owner: Housing Authority of Okanogan County www.okanoganhousing.org
Developer: Office of Rural and Farmworker Housing www.orfh.org
Architect: CAST
Contractor: Cascade Central Construction
Civil + Structural Engineer: Facet
Landscape Architecture: Lyon Landscape Architects
Electrical Engineer: TFWB Engineers
Mechanical Engineer: Berona Engineers, Inc
Envelope: Testcomm LLC
Survey: Tackman Surveying
Geotechnical: Nelson Geotechnical Associates. Inc.

With generous support from:
Methow Housing Trust
Community Foundation of North Central Washington
Rural Community Assistance Corporation
Washington State Department of Commerce
Washington State Housing Finance Commission

Photos: Mitchell Image

Collaborating with Berger Partnership, we built on a vision to redevelop this underutilized park to take advantage of its spectacular location and transform it into a regional asset.

The intent was to revamp a few dilapidated baseball fields with additional features to encourage use by a wider audience. The big move is an overlook deck that stretches towards the Chelan dam, gorge, and surrounding mountains and offers elevated views back towards the baseball diamonds.

An overlook was designed to provide a view of the dam and the surrounding mountains that had been unavailable to the public. We combined functions whenever possible, with the deck also serving as a roof to the gathering space below, stacked basalt seating relating to the surrounding geology, and finally, a sloping lawn that adds minor league stadium-style seating looking over the baseball fields. The roofs of the dugouts and central concession station also perform double duty as extended shade platforms to provide weather protection to visitors.

Enterprise, by Ahmad Abu-Khalaf

CAST contributed to this issue, highlighting recent updates on regulatory reforms and financing innovations aimed at the development of low-density multifamily housing.

View a PDF of the Issue Brief Here

What is low-density multifamily housing? There is no single, definition of lowdensity multifamily (LDMF) housing, which is also called gentle density housing or missing middle housing. LDMF housing varies across state and local housing markets depending on the market’s residential development patterns.

The effective definition of LDMF housing may also be influenced by what is allowable under current land use and zoning requirements. The effective definition of LDMF housing may also be influenced by what is allowable under current land use and zoning requirements.

On the financing side, several private entities have launched lending products tailored to LDMF housing. These loans are designed to provide debt capital for multifamily developments with small- to medium-sized loan balances.

Despite this progress, more work needs to be done to significantly boost LDMF housing nationwide. A much larger number of jurisdictions must adopt regulatory reforms that would lead to a broader regulatory landscape supportive of LDMF housing, enabling the housing industry to build it at scale.

Unlocking underutilized land zoned for single-family development to allow for LDMF housing has the potential to help jurisdictions ease their housing markets’ supply and affordability issues. However, boosting LDMF housing nationwide requires addressing the regulatory and financial barriers to creating this type of development at scale.

University Cooperative School is the first school to be approved as Retrofitted on the City of Seattle’s URM list.

The City of Seattle has recognized University Cooperative School for successfully achieving "Retrofitted Unreinforced Masonry (URM)" status. Over eight years, CAST, Swenson Say Faget structural engineers, and the project team completed the required work and documentation, ensuring the school meets the necessary standards, and updated its status on the City's list of structures previously requiring evaluation and potential retrofitting under the upcoming URM Ordinance.

TEAM
Client: University Cooperative School
Architect: CAST
Owners Rep: Westlake Consulting Group
Contractor: Sellen
Structural: Swenson Say Faget ssfengineers.com
Electrical: TFWB
Estimating: Rider Levett Bucknall www.rlb.com/americas
Special Inspection: Terracon

As an AIA 2030 signatory firm, CAST has committed to its goal of carbon-neutral buildings by 2030. This Commitment is an actionable climate strategy that offers a set of standards and goals for reaching net zero emissions in the built environment.

Our design approach and process are thoughtful. We push the limits of sustainability through project performance by setting clear goals and making a positive impact on the environment. Our expertise helps our clients align with their green building goals and understand building life-cycle costs, lower utility bills, enjoy the benefits from natural light, and manage water usage.

The latest climate data tells us that reducing carbon emissions is not enough. To make the biggest impact, we must commit to net zero emissions by 2030—a path that requires strong, immediate action. Since the built environment creates a staggering 40% of the world's emissions, architects, engineers, and owners play a key role. We know that every project can be a catalyst for change.

Our Sustainability Action Plan includes principles and commitments that look for smart, innovative ways to deliver our projects and support climate goals.
Principles
Think Holistically
Act with Urgency
Every Project Counts
Make the Next Project Better

Commitments
Measure Performance
Support Research
Commit to AIA 2030 Challenge
Iterate on Success
Work with Partners
Advocate for Change
Celebrate Wins

See our Sustainability Action Plan here: www.castarchitecture.com/sustainability-action-plan

CAST is dedicated to tracking and reporting our progress toward the AIA 2030 Commitment. We will utilize energy modeling, life cycle assessments, and post-occupancy evaluations to measure operational energy use and embodied carbon across our projects. Our team will document and submit project performance data to the AIA Design Data Exchange (DDx), responding with transparency and accountability. By setting measurable benchmarks and analyzing trends, we will refine our strategies, improve outcomes, and contribute to industry-wide efforts to achieve carbon neutrality. Through this commitment, we will continuously push the boundaries of sustainable design while sharing insights that drive collective progress.

We have had deep roots in sustainable design since our founding in 1999. We are committed to improving the lives of individuals, families, and the community through vibrant and thoughtful design. CAST is at the forefront of sustainable architecture, creating high-performance buildings designed to endure. Our approach prioritizes responsible resource management throughout a building’s lifecycle, integrating climate-responsive design, the best available building science, and site-specific strategies.

CAST’s co-founder Matt Hutchins, AIA, CPHD, and Seattle Planning Commissioner talks about the major update to the Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan.
one seattle for all - 2025/02/08 10:37 PST – Recording

Seattle is growing (and that’s good)!

How do we make room for new housing and be the kind of city we want to live in?

Seattle’s Comprehensive Plan major update – a 20-year growth strategy.

-        Must include affordable housing and middle housing

-        Housing planning aligns with planning for transportation, utilities, climate and the environment, capital
facilities and parks/open space

Two kinds of affordable housing:
1. Subsidized and deeply affordable
2. Less expensive housing by size, type, and age (ie. ADUs, small apartments

-        Neighborhood centers can hold both types of affordable housing

-        Middle housing is less expensive and a great option

-        Urban Neighborhood housing types: single-family housing with ADU, duplexes, townhomes, stackedflats

We need more affordable housing – where does it go?

-        Neighborhood centers can support both types of affordable housing

Let your city council member know you support affordable housing, and you also support neighborhood centers and middle housing.
oneseattleforall.org

Introducing CAST’s Infill Housing Toolkit: We put together recent, current, and future projects to showcase strategies and case studies for abundant housing infill development.

Site Typologies
Constrained Lots
Typical Infill Lots
Large, Assembled Lots

Design Features
Single Stair
Stacked Flats
Low-Energy Design
Low-Carbon Building
Diverse Unit Mix
Open Space

ECHO, a 10-unit apartment building in the Eastlake neighborhood of Seattle, is now a Design Certified PHIUS (Passive House Institute US) Core 2021 project.

This apartment building will replaces a 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.

The two homes on the ground floor are both fully accessible. And, the top two units have high ceilings with lofted sleeping areas.

High-performance design elements include: thermal control, airtightness and moisture control, balanced ventilation, and high-performance glazing.

TEAM
Developer: West Crescent Advisors, LLC, Nancy Melton
Architect: CAST
Passive House Institute US: @passivehouseinstituteus
Builder: Carrig Construction @carrig_construction
Project Consultant: Woodworth Construction Management LLC, Lydia Anne, @woodworth_built
Civil Engineer: Davido Consulting Group, Inc. @dcgengr
Structural Engineer: Harriott Valentine Engineers @harriottvalentine
Mechanical Engineer: Ecotope @ecotope_inc
Envelope Consultant: B.E.E Consulting, LLC
Electrical Engineer: TFWB Engineers, Inc
Windows: Alpen Windows – Passive House Certified
Landscape Architect: @karenkiestlandscapearchitects
Arborist: Moss Studio
Geotechnical Engineer: PanGEO, Inc.
Surveyor: Terrane @terranesurveying
Third party verifier: Balderston Associates

Published at Seattle’s Daily Journal of Commerce https://www.djc.com/news/ae/12162400.html

ON THE BOARDS - METHOW VALLEY’S RIVERSMeet WINTHROP proposed MIXED-USE BUILDING

RiversMeet, a proposed mixed-use project in the town of Winthrop in Washington’s Methow Valley, is positioned to become the upvalley entrance to “old downtown.” The site is a challenging set of narrow parcels overlooking the confluence of the Methow and Chewuch Rivers.

CAST’s client, Peter Goldman, as part of his development proposal, intends to request the town make zoning changes to allow for long-term rentals in the commercial district. RiversMeet is envisioned as a template for how buildings can work within Winthrop's westernization code while striving for high levels of sustainability and providing more inclusive housing options.

The program will provide two 2-bedroom residential units overlooking the river, with approximately 1,870 SF of pedestrian-level retail space. The second floor incorporates 1,870 SF of office space. The second floor incorporates 1,870 SF of office space, continuing the client’s tradition of renting below market rate to community non-profit businesses.

Team
Client: Peter Goldman and Martha Kongsgaard
Architect: CAST architecture
Builder: North Star Construction Company  www.Northstarbuilds.Com
Civil & Structural: DCG   www.dcgengr.com   
Electrical: TFWB   tf-wb.com
Environmental:  Grette  www.gretteassociates.com  
Geotech: Geoengineers  www.geoengineers.com/ 
Mechanical: Ecotope   www.ecotope.com 
Survey: Tackman   www.tackmansurveying.com