A Seattle Home Perched High in the Treetops Transforms With Movable Walls
In The Lookout, Hybrid Architecture inverts the floor plan of a typical home to best take advantage of a sloped site.
In The Lookout, Hybrid Architecture inverts the floor plan of a typical home to best take advantage of a sloped site.
Having lived in the Central District of Seattle for years, Robert Humble is well acquainted with its walkable streets and easy access to downtown businesses. He’s also gotten a close-up view of how the neighborhood has changed over time. "The area has really seen a lot of gentrification over the years, and a lot of townhouses that were just slapped up by developers with really no design aspirations whatsoever," says Humble. "We felt like this was an opportunity to demonstrate that you could do a high-quality infill project."
Humble is the founding partner and design principal of Hybrid, a collaborative, multidisciplinary firm that specializes in urban density. When they acquired this steep, 4,200-square-foot lot bounded by a street and an alley, they swapped out the aging on-site home for a cluster of three gable-roofed townhouses on the street side, and a modest 1,040-square-foot home perched upslope on the alley.
The Lookout occupies the alley side of the lot. "It’s a white box hovering above all of the visual noise of the alley," says Humble. "We [located] the circulation to that side, and have all of our primary openings facing away from the alley toward the tree."
Photo: Rafael Soldi
The homeowners, Claudine and Isaiah, have been living in Seattle for three and a half years, and they moved into their new home this fall. "We were looking for a modern look and feel, with unique characteristics at an affordable price point," says Isaiah. "A lot of new construction and updated homes are either very similar and cookie cutter, or unaffordable."
Photo: Rafael Soldi
The firm started by preserving a mature cherry tree on the site, using it to separate the townhouses and the home and provide a shared green space. By positioning the home on the high side of the lot, the firm provided the residence with views over the roofs of the neighbors—and into the tree branches. This elevated approach also inspired the home’s name: The Lookout.
The branches of the cherry tree can be glimpsed through the living room windows.
Photo: Rafael Soldi
See the full story on Dwell.com: A Seattle Home Perched High in the Treetops Transforms With Movable Walls
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