Church Green Townhomes - first hurdle cleared.

Our townhome project for the West Seattle Church of the Nazarene took a step forward today.  It was reviewed by the City Council Central Staff and the Planning Commission and placed on the docket to be considered for a comp plan amendment that would allow the project to go forward.  In about 2 weeks, we will have another hearing, and if we get past that one we'll be well on the way.

Best in Show

Our Beach Drive project won Visitors' Favorite at the 2014 NW Green Home Tour.  Thanks to our very thoughtful client (you know who you are) for letting us show off your lovely home.  Congratulations also to Heartwood Builders for their skillful execution of a challenging project.

2014 Green Home Tour - Saturday April 26 - 11am to 5pm

This Saturday is the NW Eco-Building 2014 Green HomeTour. Four of our projects are featured on the tour this year. The tour is free and open to the public. Hope to see you at some of the projects.  http://www.nwgreenhometour.org/map

The Mosner Residence (4827 Beach Drive) is one of two adjacent waterfront houses that we designed (the Binder residence next door isn't quite done & is not on the tour).  It's a really simple design with some spectacular views, a very successful natural lighting strategy, some interesting use of color and specialty finishes.  5 star built green. Features include a 6kw active solar array, heat pump HVAC, on demand hot water, high efficiency envelope featuring rainscreen siding, fluid applied WRB, spray foam super-insulation. Taber will be stationed there all day to answer questions and sign autographs.

Mosner Residence (4827 Beach Drive)

Marion Green (918 14th Ave) is our latest courtyard townhouse project. It isn't quite as far along as we had hoped at this stage, but we'll be there with some explanatory boards to help flesh out what's there. The project has generated a lot of interest from buyers, with two of the five units already sold. 4 Star Built Green. Neiman will be on-site here all day. http://www.mariongreentownhouses.com/

Marion Green - 918 14th Avenue

Westview Townhomes (2808 14th ave W) is a 4 unit townhouse project with a shared community green space and spectacular views of Interbay and Elliott Bay beyond. 4 Star Built Green. http://www.westviewtownhouses.com/

Westview Townhomes - 2808 14th Ave W

Howell Green is a 7 unit townhouse project, also centered around a shared community green space. Units are oriented to take advantage of the project's southern exposure for passive solar gain and good natural light. 4 star built green. http://www.howelltownhouses.com/

Howell Green - 1724 17th Avenue

Madrona Artwalk

One of the many things we enjoy about our new storefront office space is our participation in the monthly Madona Artwalk.  With the aid of our nelwy designed temporary art display panels (that only an architect could love), every 2nd Saturday of each month from 2 pm-5 pm, we transform our workspace into a 600 square foot art gallery!  

This month our featured artist is Amy Hamblin of Seattle. Amy creates large-scale sculptures, contemporary milagros, small wearable art, and jewelry; all are which inspired by science and nature.  Her material palette includes pure and sterling silver, copper, bronze, pewter, steel, wire, rubber, and other things.  To see more of Amy's work, visit her website at www.amyhamblinart.com

If you're in the neighborhood, please stop by this Saturday - our new location is 1421 34th Avenue (in the old glassybaby space).  And also, keep an eye out for our monthly Artwalk Blog for upcoming shows!

Rubber Wall Tattoos

Diaphanous Organ: Fascia 2012

Etheries: Iota 2013 

HUP Wellington Lofts

Wellington Apartments is an existing 22 unit apartment building on the corner of 16th Ave East and East Mercer St in Seattle. It currently has an existing accessory parking structure to the west of the property.  The proposed project will demolish the parking structure and replace it with three new loft units above a new parking garage. Each unit has a large sleeping loft above the kitchen, bathroom and laundry at the apartment level. The living area takes advantage of the double height space. The thin floor plate and simple shed form provide each unit with access to good natural light. High windows provide individuals within the units views to the sky and maintain privacy from neighboring buildings. The façade expression features a  color range of painted cement panels that match the existing brick so the new building will fit within the character of its immediate context. The project is set to begin construction soon.  

Neiman Taber Architects - Its Official

It's official.  David Neiman Architects has become Neiman Taber Architects.  We're putting the finishing touches on our new logo & graphics, changing over our website domain, printing new cards, and working through the rest of the loose ends.  Look for a launch party in April or May.

Housing on the Green - WSCN Townhomes Update

This week we released a first look at our Housing on the Green project for the West Seattle Church of the Nazarene.  The project is a joint venture of DNA, Paar Development, and WSCN. Proceeds from the development will be used to fund a renovation of the church and improvements to the grounds including a public playground.

The project features a cluster of six new homes built along the alley side of the church green.  Each of the homes has a two car garage accessed from the alley, a main living level that faces out to the public green, and a top level with two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a sleeping loft tucked into the eaves of the roof.

Between the homes and the park are a series of transitional spaces:  A covered porch steps down to a semi-private yard, which steps down to the level of the park.  Each height transition is marked with visual cues such as railings, fences, pathways, and planting beds that provide clear definitions between the public realm and the private realm and all of the gradations in between.  The homes are not connected internally to their garages so that comings and goings from the homes help activate the commons.  In turn, people using the commons help keep an eye on the housing.  Many opportunities are created for chance interactions among neighbors that help build strong communities.



The project owes a great deal to Ross Chapin and his book Pocket Neighborhoods.  Ross has been a generous teacher, and his work has been enormously helpful in explaining concepts of community design to our clients and their neighbors.

The project has received some publicity in West Seattle Blog and KIRO, and is being followed with some interest in the community-at-large. We held our third public meeting last night, received some good feedback, and will be taking some steps over the next couple weeks to help with the public outreach some more, including:

• Post signage at the site showing some project imagery.  Stake out building footprints on the ground.
• Publish a document explaining how the funds raised by the development will be used by the church.
• Publish a draft of the comp plan amendment (required as a precursor to the rezone).
• Set up an informational website to make project information easy for the public to access.

Project Team:  David Neiman, Juan Vergara, Erin Feeney.

Marion Green Update - Groundbreaking, Design Changes, and First Sale

Marion Green, our most ambitious courtyard townhouse project to date, broke ground last month.  One of my favorite features was that we designed the project around preserving the original streetscape, re-purposing the original garages as automobile and pedestrian entries to the site.  Partway through the permitting process, we discovered that the zoning code would not allow us to keep the automobile entry, as the existing walls blocked sight lines that allow pedestrians and cars to see each other.  In the first week of earthwork we discovered that there was not enough room on site to get equipment in and out without removing the second garage.  Finally, when it came time to start hauling away demolition debris and soil, we needed the entire front of the site for loading, at which point all of the existing site walls came down.  It was a disappointment, but one of those growing pains that all projects go through as they progress from concept to reality.

Original streetscape with garages and street walls preserved.  The intention was that equipment and materials would come in ant out in the area between the two garages.

Current design.  The only remnant is the blade wall on the north property line that holds up the neighbors yard.  Everything else is new.

This picture gives you an appreciation for the mismatch between my original design intent and the scale of the equipment coming in and off the site.

Now for the good news:  We just sold our first unit!  We got a good price (about $50/sf than the previous best comp for the neighborhood), which is encouraging, as a design like Marion Green is more expensive to build than a conventional project and construction costs in general are rising quickly in the current boomlet.  The way this season is shaping up we expect the units will sell out well in advance of project completion this fall.  For anyone following the project as an interested buyer, I would encourage you to contact the sales team soon to let them know.

Howell Green and Westview Townhomes.

A pair of new courtyard townhomes we designed for Paar Development are heading for completion and were recently listed for pre-sale. To help with the marketing we prepared the videos that can be viewed below:

Westview Townhomes - 2808 14th Avenue W

Westview is a four unit development featuring a central courtyard shared by all of the units.  Because the site has alley access, it doesn't require an elaborate structured courtyard like Beacon Green or Marion Green. The courtyard provides private decks for each unit as well as a rain garden that handles all of the project stormwater.  Roof decks for each unit look out over Interbay and Puget Sound. Projecting decks along the street front help break up the facade and draw human activity to the public way.

Howell Green Townhomes - 1724 17th Avenue

Howell Green is a seven unit development on top of Capitol Hill. Like Westview it has an alley that provides access and parking, with a central courtyard that provides open space and stormwater retention.  The courtyard is set a half-level below the main floor, so that the main living areas and private decks feel connected to the common areas. The stairways are designed to have a split level entry so people can easily circulate from the private decks down to the commons without using exterior stair that would eat up space and create a lot of visual clutter. The site enjoys good southern exposure, so the units are oriented to provide more units that can capture the light and solar gain. The solar shades, the roof overhangs, and the canopies have all been integrated together to form strong horizontal planes that create visual interest, protect the areas of natural finish, and create a bottom/middle/top composition that recalls some of the more traditional buildings in the area.  

Both projects are currently listed for pre-sale.  See www.westviewtownhouses.com and www.howelltownhouses.com for more information.

Roxette Apartments

Seattle is currently going through a multi-family housing boom, and we are booming right along with it. Looking around the office, almost everyone has a an apartment project or two on their desk.  The first one out of the gate this year is the Roxette, a 20 unit addition to the Roxborough Apartments at 18th & Denny on Capitol Hill.  While we are waiting for our first official design review meeting, we have set up an informal public meeting to show the project to the neighbors and take some early feedback.

Apartment development in lowrise zones is a hot topic in Seattle these days.  LR3 zones were given a height increase up to 40' in the 2011 code revision, and the most recent crop of projects have produced a lot of projects that are out of scale with their neighbors.  The Roxette project is focused on creating a building massing that respects the scale of the adjacent 3 story apartment along the front facade, stepping up to a four story height farther away from the street.  

PUBLIC PRESENTATION:  5:50PM, January 28 ; Polish Home Association - 1714 18^th Ave E.

Ryther Campus Renewal

Ryther is a children's behavioral heath services institution located in North Seattle. For generations Ryther has provided care for children in the state foster care system, many of them suffering from abuse, neglect, and addiction.  Over the years, state funding has become leaner and a funding gap has opened up between the cost of providing care and what the state is willing to pay for it.  Ryther has always managed to bridge this gap through philanthropic support, but doing so has been a constant struggle. Recently, Ryther began a new initiative to secure their future by opening their doors to private outpatients, becoming a health care provider that can serve any child or family that needs help with the wide range of issues where Ryther is uniquely qualified to help.

To facilitate this transition, Ryther has embarked on a major fundraising initiative to renovate the campus. While much of our work will focus on the nuts & bolts of getting the buildings fixed up and ready for another generation of service, we've also been tasked with something really special:  Transforming a fairly non-descript institutional campus into a place that is expressive of its unique nature, namely that Ryther is a mission driven institution, dedicated to healing families and helping children to realize a better life.

Throughout the process we have looked for opportunities to express the child centered nature of the institution through architectural form.  Just in time for Ryther's annual fundraiser, we unveiled our design for the new campus entry and lobby.

The project  features many unique design elements, but the common theme that runs throughout is that they are invitations to children to engage with their environment in an open-ended, creative, and imaginative way.  They are a way of expressing, in built form, the values of the institution.  They are playthings for children, but also a means to communicate Ryther's values to parents who are making choices about where to take their children for help.

Design Team: David Neiman, Liz Pisciotta, Erin Feeney. John Barker Landscape Architect

New campus "kidscape" features playful hopping stones that weave along the entry path and into the garden areas. A forest of colorful poles are used to mount bird and bat habitats, lighting fixtures, and signage.  Footholds on the poles allow kids to climb and walk among them.

New entry to the clinical services building.  A leaf shaped canopy captures rainwater from the upper roof and channels it into a new stream bed.  The building entry features a playful entry door sized just for kids.

The walls, ceiling, and floor of the lobby takes the color ideas that begin in the kidscape and extends them inside.  The design features a playful mix of ceiling coves, niches, skylights and pendant lights.  The kids corner can be accessed by crawling through big holes in the surrounding walls.

The campus lobby kids corner.  A  peaceful, skylit space intended to encourage calm behavior, the room is decorated with a sea-to-sky mural, soft furniture, and a thickened wall that kids can nest inside.

Therapy rooms feature a inviting floor-play corner, colorful lighting, and decorative ceiling clouds.

First brainstorm sketch of the pole forest.

In addition to being Ryther's architect, we are also proud supporters.  If you wish to join us in making a donation to Ryther, here is the link to their fundraising page.

Madrona Art Walk Today 2-5pm

Our office is participating in today's Madrona Art Walk.  We are featuring the work of Iona Park, a recent emigre from New York to Seattle.  Iona's work features bold color and texture studies as well as landscapes and still life studies.  Drop on by, check out the art, get the whirlwind tour of our new office while you're at it.  1421 34th Ave Suite 100