The Crockett Residence located in 160 Crockett St. Seattle, renovated by Dave Biddle and Chris Pardo from Pb Elemental Architecture. The primary focus was to build a house that reflected their passion for modern urban living. The site itself was challenging in both its small size and multifamily zoning. The surrounding area is an eclectic mix of charming craftsman homes and apartment buildings. Early on the decision was made to go with surface parking rather than a garage to both allow more space for the home and avoid the “garage door dominated” front façade look. This also speaks to the clients lifestyle as they commute more on bicycles than they do in cars. Early in the process, it was also decided to locate the living level on the upper floor to capture views and allow privacy without curtains. Within the lower level, a flex space of sorts was created which could act as a family room, a mother-in-law or be closed off to act as a separate rental unit.
The final design was realized through the creation of three simple elements; a horizontal volume, a vertical volume and a folded plane. The private program elements (bedrooms & bathrooms) were located in the two volumes while the public areas were contained within the interstitial spaces created when the three elements were combined. The entry and stairs occur in the space between the folded plane and the metal clad volume; the living level within the upper fold of the Minaret plane. In both cases, the simple massing allows the spaces to seem as if they flow out from the home to connect with the neighborhood adding energy and size. - Pb Elemental Architecture
