Cross-Laminated Timber Berm House in Washington's Methow Valley

The Berm House is a private residence that doubles as the common house and gathering space for a 19 house mixed-income community in Washington’s Methow Valley. The house is set into the landscape, with a panoramic view of the farmland down valley, but hidden from the road by a berm that ramps up onto and across the roof. 

The south-facing building orientation optimizes winter solar exposure coupled with large overhangs to protect from snowfall and the intense summer sun. The home is post and beam structure with a cross-laminated timber (CLT) roof prefabricated in northeastern Washington. The design incorporates Passive House principles including managing seasonal heat gain from solar exposure, advanced air sealing, and mechanical ventilation. Thermal bridges are minimized by wrapping the house in continuous external insulation, including structural EPS under the foundation, isolating the home from outdoor temperature swings. The earthen roof adds thermal mass, wildfire protection, and a promontory to take in the down valley vista.

The great room portion of the house was designed for friends and neighbors to gather, share meals, and be a social center for the community. Off the great room, a five-foot wide hall leads to three guest suites and the primary suite. The uncomplicated and efficient floor plan shows a clear division between the private and public spaces. The mechanical room, pantry, storage, guest bath, and laundry spaces are arranged along the berm side of the house’s section.

The material palette is predominately warm woods. The CLT ceiling and glulam posts and beams were manufactured nearby, and a coffee table and kitchen bar were crafted locally from a fir tree felled on the property. The exterior employs the Japanese shou sugi ban preservation technique. The boulders throughout the site and as part of the berm were pulled from the site and placed by the owner. 

Team
Owner: Lee Whittaker
Methow Housing Trust
Architect: CAST architecture
Contractor: Methow Valley Builders 
CLT: Vaagen Timbers
Concrete subcontractor: JR’s Five Star Concrete
Geotechnical Engineering: GeoEngineers

See more here.

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

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 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