Harbor Avenue Live/Work
The Harbor Avenue Residence is a tall home built on the foundations of an existing building in West Seattle, Washington. The aesthetic design started with the basic footprint of the existing building extended to four additional stories. Simple, clean materials with minimal maintenance requirements were important inside and out. The owner asked for a building that felt like a Northwest home while taking advantage of extensive glass and natural light.
Location: West Seattle
Size: 6,694 SF (Including Decks)
Cost: $225.50/SF
Photography: Joe Harrigan
A five-story curtain wall of green glass and a steel structural frame allow breath-taking views of the city across the bay and lend a signature material to the building, drawing the viewer’s eye upward. Curved steel beams and heavy timber roofs convey the curves of the marine environment just steps away while giving a significant form to the top of the building and the meeting and deck spaces enclosed. A steel “torii” beam and column structure at the top roof deck suggests a gateway, a portal to the east and the wider world, reflecting the owner’s Korean heritage.
“There’s no hidden agenda with Rhodes Architecture + Light. They are there to make the client’s dream come true, and they’re also there to decipher where price and execution is accurate. Peace of mind sets them apart.” Client Representative
The building was commissioned by a Korean client for use as living, residential, light work, and meeting space. The 3-story 1980’s era building that Rhodes Architecture + Light started with was outdated and leaking but it was also sited across Elliott Bay from the City of Seattle, enjoying a panoramic view of the Emerald City itself. The building site is just across an avenue from a vibrant waterfront including public beaches, an extensive walking/biking trail, docks for fishing and a water taxi service to downtown Seattle.
Read more about this multi-use building and other modern transformations ...
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