Rock Star Architecture in Seattle

Steel Stair, DeForest Architects, john@deforestarchitects.com

Port Townsend Residence, Bohlin Cywinski Jackson Architects, hnelson@bcj.com

Coleman Triplex, Workshop AD Architects, steveb@workshopad.com

Suncrest Residence, Heliotrope Architects, jherrin@heliotropearchitects.com

Bodega Residence, Cutler Anderson Architects, vanderson@cutler-anderson.com

The AIA (American Institute of Architects) Honor awards can sometimes be a yawn, especially when they beat the deader-than-dead horse of Sustainability. But at this year's ceremony on November 8, the S-word wasn’t even mentioned; instead, the focus was on beautiful, useful design that honors the soul of its inhabitants.

Maybe it had something to do with the soulfulness of the multiple-award winning judges, all formidable architects in their own right:

• Jim Jennings, from San Francisco, “quintessential bay area modernist”
• Sheila O’Donnell, Hon. FAIA, from Dublin, whose watercolor studies, which explore and develop architecture concepts from landscape to material, have been widely published and exhibited
• Gilles Saucier, from Montreal, whose work as a photographer has fine-tuned his approach to architecture

The honored projects ranged from single-family homes to large commercial buildings. My favorites are the homes that embed themselves into the fabric of the landscape upon which they are sited. There is no real distinction between “inside” and “outside” in the experience of being there. I imagine myself living in these airy, clean spaces, enjoying rich woods, and modern concrete, steel, and glass. The silent peacefulness of being one with a place in time and space.

The real stand-out of the evening was the see-through staircase. It turned the typical aesthetic upside down: usually the stairs themselves are solid, while the railing is see-through. In this delicious design, it’s the reverse: the stairs are made of steel mesh that you can look right through, and the railing is a solid sheet of steel defining and constraining the core. The owners wanted to be able to see their art through the stairs. Mission accomplished!

The AIA can help you find a Seattle architect to build your dream home.