With regard to concrete floors being cold… like the reply above stated, my radiant concrete floors are very warm but, all joking aside… I think the owner of the house always has an option to throw down some “warm” area rugs… and also the use of all the wood (at least in my project), combined with my furniture and art, really helps to make the place warmer.

When I first ran into the PB projects I wrote a letter to the principles thanking them for not doing the standard cookie cutter town houses that are going up all over the city. You cannot call their work cookie cutter, yes they have defined a style but they are constantly evolving. Most of there work is evolutionary building off past projects (what worked and what did not). If everything was a revolution, throwing out the past and starting over, how do you grow as a designer?

Just my 2 cents.

Thanks…

Please keep designing and building houses with big windows facing the street.

You might find the article below interesting. It is written about another project of ours that faces the street in the opposite fashion of the Capitol Hill Residence. Blank facade vs. store front window. Point being, there will always be criticism one way or the other (and should be). I appreciate architecture that challenges the norm. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. Some people love it and some people hate it. But at least it is progessive. I’d like to assume that we don’t all live in the exact same way. Currently, the thousands of homes I see throughout Seattle make it appear as though we do. Classic punched windows (3′x5′) seem to be the only socially acceptable way to face a street. We choose to challenge these “givens”. For the Sterling Residence some criticize us for being too private w/ respect to the sidewalk. For the Capitol Hill Residence some criticize us for being too open w/ respect to the sidewalk. If we don’t want any criticism it seems as though our only option is to simply repeat (genuinely or not) the architecture of the past. We welcome criticism and are happy to spark debate with respect to our built environment. I appreciate your comments because while they might be directed toward this residence in particular they are also addressing much bigger issues.

Stranger Article:

http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/Content?oid=532069&mode=print

Sterling Residence Pics:

http://www.elementalarchitecture.com/projects/single/sterling/index.html

The interior space is bland and cold and it’s enforced exhibitionism in private spaces is presumptuous and cryptoprurient.

I have to disagree with jordan’s assessment that Seattle neighborhoods have no flavor. The character seems apparent to me and to those people who choose where they live based on how they feel about the neighborood.

I wonder if it might be more honest to say that some people just doesn’t like the flavor of Seattle neighboroods.

Either way, the best prescription might be for them to move somewhere else.

~GC

The front door is on the left side of the house. The home is for sale @ $912k.

Jason –

The concrete floor are all radiantly heated so the physical warmth of concrete is warm although some visually think concrete is a hard cold surface which is what you might be refering to.

Andrew –

We typically leave the window dressing options up to the home buyer as it is a fairly personal choice. We’ve been seeing a lot of frost film, reflective film, or variation of shades done in our homes.

JN –

The baseboard heater is in addition to the in floor radiant heat on all floors. The baseboard heater is heated by the hot water going through it as well so it isn’t a huge power hog. It gives the room an optional heating boost in the winters.

While I enjoy the design, I think the location couldn’t be worse. I would imagine this house on a quiet residential street, nestled amongst trees, with a nice view that would complement the open nature of the “store front” windows. However, this placement does nothing but open an intimate life as a moving storyboard for passing motorists and heads down pedistrians hustling to get past the no man’s land of 12th ave.

Floor-to-ceiling windows in the master bedroom and the master bathroom facing the street seem like odd choices in an urban setting. The only window in the dining area is up high. The voyeuristic nature of the house sounds cooler in theory that it’ll be in reality.

And electric baseboard heaters?

Couple of things I would do if it were my house.

- less concrete floors to prevent it from feel so “cold”.
- tile in the entry foyer to make it feel more special
- a different tile in the bathroom; something that isn’t so cliche modern

The windows and the wood accents are great!