Seattle Waterfront

This blog post will kick off a new series highlighting some of our favorite project elements from different projects and spaces. One thing we love as architects is the uniqueness of each site, and the opportunities and challenges they present. We play to the strengths of the site location and consistently design a unique home that caters to our clients' lifestyle.

Puget Sound and the Northwest present a unique opportunity that allows many of our clients to live quietly, positioned on the water with mountain views, and only a few minute drive to an urban center. We are happy to help our clients strike the balance of nature and city, living as a socialite when desired, with a home tucked outside of the city's hustle and bustle to enjoy the classic Washington scenery.

Our client wanted a family of living spaces on their property to accommodate the nanny's quarters, a fitness pavilion, boathouse, and tennis courts. We love seeing the owner's vision evolve throughout the process and ultimately seeing it brought to life by the completion of the project.

One unique element of this site is the steep slope coming up from the water, which presented us with exciting design opportunities. How will the site's slope inform our design? How can we craft a design that offers something unique and well integrated into its surroundings? We responded by creating a stepped design solution with an exterior living space on each floor. 

An added component of designing for our waterfront clients is handling the permitting process. For a first timer, a steep slope waterfront permit process can seem daunting and convoluted. Thankfully, we are happy to offer our decades worth of permitting experience to simplify the process as much as we can for our clients. When it comes to something as complex as architecture and something as personal as your home, there is nothing more valuable than a firm that has withstood the test of time like TCA.