Seattle's established neighborhoods were built beginning a hundred years ago when there were lots of old growth trees, not too many people, and few cars. The dominant pre-war aesthetic of Craftsman bungalows on small lots arrayed along gridded streets gives the city its charm and vitality. As these older houses are replaced one by one, the century-old model needs an update. Faced with a fully developed city and inhabitants who are passionate about its character, what is the best way to build in the 21st century? While politely acknowledging the dominant pre-war aesthetic with its form and proportions, the Second Growth House seeks to address the myriad influences that converge today on a typical lot in a Seattle neighborhood.
Steel ships laden with containers come and go ceaselessly. Mountains loom in the distance. Aluminum airplanes built nearby roar overhead. Plumes of steam rise to an overcast sky. The salmon urgently make their way upstream through the midst of the city. Great gears drive riveted bridges skyward. Massive steel roof trusses that can move span our stadiums! The Second Growth House celebrates the grittier side of urban/industrial Seattle in its use of materials and celebration of technology. Nature and climate manifest themselves in the physical systems of the Second Growth House. The design is derived from sustainable building, itself a synthesis of the industrial and natural systems that form the context of contemporary Seattle.
It's hard to avoid water in Seattle. We are surrounded by large bodies of it. It falls on our heads for half the year. It shapes our political discussions and seeps up through the old basement floor. Water is integral to the Second Growth House. A gently curved roof collects Seattle's 35.8 inches of annual rainfall for domestic potable use. Two large cisterns proudly announce this process and relate the house to the city's underlying industrial aesthetic. They serve as a visible reminder of the quantity of resources necessary to sustain every household. A planted roof over the carport and minimal impervious surfaces on-site prevents stormwater runoff. Hot water is heated in glass-tube trellises overhead. Their warmth is distributed through a hydronic heat system.
Sunlight is the most important element for our physical health and mental well-being, with the possible exception of coffee. The Second Growth House embraces the beauty of Seattle's varying light conditions. Elongated in the east-west direction, the house creates a large southern yard and captures passive solar heating. Porches and decks offer shade and create rooms of light and air. Walls slide open to reveal outdoor spaces and distant views. A sunscreen of glass and steel slides over the western window, protecting it from the heat and glare of the setting summer sun and providing privacy to the house's inhabitants. An array of photovoltaics provides electrical power, and a solar hot water trellis converts daylight into heat.