Understory at The Spheres is a multifunctional exhibit and visitor center designed to tell the story of The Spheres, Amazon’s iconic and wholly unique insertion into the heart of Seattle. The exhibit unravels the complexity of the architecture and engineering and the very idea behind bringing people closer to nature on a daily basis in the heart of...
Project name
Understory at The Spheres
Architecture firm
Graham Baba Architects
Location
Seattle, Washington, USA
Photography
Benjamin Benschneider
Design team
Graham Baba Architects project team: Jim Graham, Ellen Cecil, Susan Tillack, Connor Davidge, Katie Moeller. Exhibit design team: Jill Randerson Exhibit Management (project & content management), Studio Matthews (exhibition design), Belle & Wissell (multi-media design), Niteo (lighting design), Jesse Solomon Clark (composer), Olivia Knapp (illustrator), Dillon Works (exhibit fabrica-tion), Whitlock (AV integration)
Collaborators
Okano Picard Studio (architectural team members), Spearhead (pre-fabrication for custom wood ceiling and vestibule)
Interior design
Charlie Hellstern Interior Design
Typology
Commercial › Multifunctional Exhibit, Visitor Center
This mid-century home held promise, despite having endured a series of clumsy additions, including a 1980s sunroom addition and years of disrepair and neglect. The home takes its name from a family of starlings that nested in the home’s wall cavities, which were left open from previously abandoned repairs. Originally designed in 1952 by noted Seatt...
Project name
The Starling’s Nest
Architecture firm
Rerucha Studio
Location
Seattle, Washington, USA
Photography
Benjamin Benschneider
Principal architect
Jill Rerucha
Interior design
Rerucha Studio
Design year
Originally designed in 1952
Construction
Caspers Built
Material
Large sliders: Fleetwood Windows and Doors. Windows: Sierra Pacific. Roof: Standing seam sheet metal. Exterior Siding: tight knot cedar with driftwood stain. Front door: custom steel with Rixon hinges. Roof deck: concrete pedestal pavers. Cabinets: custom rift cut walnut. Countertops: absolute black granite honed. Wood floor: original oak floor (refinished and replaced where needed).
Client
New Owner: Cole Morgan
Typology
Residential › House
The 400-square-foot studio is located behind the Aaron and Kelsi Leitz's residence in West Seattle and serves as a photography studio and office for Aaron, as well as an exercise space for Kelsi, a Pilates instructor.
Project name
Studio Leitz
Architecture firm
Heliotrope Architects
Location
Seattle, Washington, USA
Construction
Mētis Construction
Material
Clad in kiln-dried, western red cedar (tight-knot cedar boards and clear cedar slats), plaster walls, a concrete floor, plywood casework
Client
Aaron Leitz, Kelsi Leitz
Typology
Commercial › Photography Studio
Built in 1914, Smith Tower was the tallest structure west of the Mississippi upon its completion. No expense was spared in the construction of this ambitious 462-foot-tall building, with interiors finished in rich materials and ornate detailing. Today, this iconic figure in the Seattle skyline houses offices and commercial spaces topped by an obser...
Project name
The Penthouse at Smith Tower
Architecture firm
Graham Baba Architects
Location
Seattle, Washington, USA
Photography
Tim Van Asselt
Design team
Jim Graham, Principal in charge. Jeff King, Project Manager
Collaborators
Agent: Moira Holley Presents for Realogics Sotheby's International Realty
Interior design
Graham Baba Architects
Environmental & MEP engineering
Material
Concrete, Wood, Glass, Steel
Construction
Valor Builds Collaborative
Typology
Residential › Apartment
Approached initially to consult on site-selection, the firm encouraged the clients to focus on features that are unique to the San Juans such as grassy basalt rock outcroppings set within a Douglas fir and pacific madrone forest. The owners later purchased a hillside parcel possessing these features, the rock outcroppings forming a small clearing.
Project name
Buck Mountain Cabin
Architecture firm
Heliotrope Architects
Location
Orcas Island, Washington, USA
Photography
Taj Howe, Sean Airhart
Principal architect
Mike Mora
Collaborators
Space Theory (Cabinetry)
Interior design
Heliotrope Architects
Landscape
Native Landscapes
Construction
Tye Contracting Inc.
Material
Wood, Glass, Metal
Typology
Residential › House
The Surly Crab is a modern beach house located on Hood Canal in Washington state. Views to the west take in the waterway and the Olympic Mountains. Inland from the home is a lush forest with ferns, native rhododendrons, madrona, and fir trees.
Project name
The Surly Crab
Architecture firm
Eerkes Architects
Location
Hood Canal, Seabeck, Washington, USA
Principal architect
Les Eerke
Collaborators
Allworth Design (landscape architecture), Quantum Consulting Engineers (structural engineering), Fradkin Fine Construction (general contractor)
Visualization
Notion Workshop
Typology
Residential › House
Surrounded by the world’s most high-tech fruit packing warehouses, the 16,500-square-foot Washington Fruit & Produce Co. headquarters is conceived as an oasis amidst a sea of concrete and low-lying brush landscape. Tucked behind landforms and site walls, this courtyard-focused office complex provides a refuge from the noise and activity of the indu...
Project name
Washington Fruit & Produce Co. Headquarters
Architecture firm
Graham Baba Architects
Location
Yakima, Washington, USA
Photography
Kevin Scott, Jenn LaFreniere
Design team
Brett Baba (design principal). Hill Pierce (project architect). Jenn LaFreniere (project manager)
Collaborators
ARUP (M/E/P/fire protection engineer). Premier SIPS (Structurally Insulated Panel roof). Selkirk Timberwrights (glulam). Pacific Window Systems (glazing). Stusser Woodworks (custom furniture fabrication & white oak paneling). Millwork Preservation (interior custom woodworking)
Interior design
Interior Motiv
Landscape
The Berger Partnership
Structural engineer
MA Wright, LLC
Lighting
Brian Hood Lighting
Construction
Artisan Construction
Material
Steel, Glass, Wood, etc.
Typology
Commercial architecture, Headquarter
It’s located in the neighborhood where they have lived for many years and have forged deep social bonds. It’s a short one-block walk to their daughter’s school. It has beautiful mature trees. It has a pool! But still, after the sale closed the clients thought, why did we buy this house??
Project name
Kent Residence Renovation
Architecture firm
EL Studio PLLC
Location
Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Photography
HDP Photography
Typology
Residential › House
