Net-Zero project converts disjointed house into hillside eco-home
Even for a home perched on a hillside overlooking Puget Sound in West Seattle, this project had lofty goals. The clients, both previous circus performers, tackled this project of daring feats with the help of SHED Architecture + Design. Now known as the Me-Kwa-Mooks Net-Zero house, the structure was a hodgepodge of prior renovations before the team converted it using cohesive and aesthetic design.
Although the existing home was functional and focused on the surrounding landscape, the goals for the update were to improve accessibility to the home and create an open flow inside the framework where it previously suffered from disconnected spaces.
The couple charged the architectural design firm with opening up the space, perhaps inspired by life under the big top, with the construction developing around a central hearth. The rambling levels of the home were streamlined into two floors with the three-rings of the program–dining room, living room and music room–nestled around the figurative tent mast, the hearth. A master bedroom and office loft look down on the activity from the upper level.
Equally, the team wanted to capitalize on the copious views from the steeply sloped, triangular lot adjacent to Me-Kwa-Mooks Park. With the hearth as the central element, surrounding rooms are bordered by exterior windows, and windows from the upper level provide views of the sea below.
The exterior of the home and expansive deck relies on natural materials such as metal and wood while connecting to another natural element, terraced gardens.
Moreover, the home remodel incorporates a variety of energy-saving tactics to put it well on the way towards achieving net-zero energy consumption. These tactics include exterior insulation, high-performance windows, an efficient HVAC system, a heat pump, a water heater, electric car charging ports and solar panels.
For interior design, the couple requested Japanese themed elements, a result of both clients having lived in and acquired an appreciation for Japanese surroundings. The tatami nook and Japanese soaking tub are just a few comforting options to help escape the three-ring circus of life.
Photography by Rafael Soldi
Written by Dawn Hammon
