b9 architects’ is thrilled to showcase the recently completed Greta apartment, a project that exemplifies our commitment to providing excellent design for all of our projects regardless of type and scale. A 33-unit Small Efficiency Dwelling Unit (SEDU) apartment completed earlier this year in Seattle's vibrant University District, Greta sets the stage for a sister project Graceland, currently under construction just next door to the rear. Together, these developments elevate residential density while adhering to a shared commitment to executing the design intent prioritized by a collaborative project team.

b9 architects kicked off both projects in 2018 to ensure they would vest to the then current municipal code. After vesting was secured, the Graceland went on hold while the team spent their focus completing Greta, the smaller project. Greta stands out with its material palette, commercial feeling, street-facing lobby and a thoughtfully designed small courtyard. It is a departure from the conventional design and entry placement in similar buildings nearby. This innovative approach\ welcomes residents into a space that fosters community and engages the street front. 

Greta boasts high-quality materials such as natural finished Minerit and black stained cedar siding, creating a visually striking and high-contrast facade. Recessed balconies add depth and further enhance the aesthetic appeal, showcasing a commitment to elevating the urban living experience. Additionally, the layout of Greta prioritizes natural light and privacy, with nearly all apartments designed as corner units. This intentional configuration not only maximizes access to daylight but also minimizes privacy concerns, creating a comfortable and inviting living environment for residents.

As Greta was wrapping up construction in 2023, the b9 team focused on completing Graceland’s entitlement processes and construction drawings. Phasing the two projects allowed us to learn from the first design and construction process. We saw our client’s commitment in executing the design intent of Greta, and worked to bring our BIM model and documentation to our current standard in preparation for a robust building phase.

A larger, more complex project, the 54-unit Graceland introduces an exterior lobby as part of its entry sequence, engaging residents and visitors in a unique double-height open-framed portal from the street into a central courtyard. This innovative design fosters a sense of connection and community right from the moment of arrival. Distinguishing itself further, Graceland features predominantly exterior circulation. A steel stair directly facing the street and exterior walkways at all floors contribute to the project's dynamic and engaging urban presence. Residents will experience a seamless blend of indoor and outdoor living.

Leveraging the advantage of a double lot, Graceland incorporates a central courtyard accessible to all residents and visitors. An indoor amenity "living room" anchors the rear of the courtyard, providing a space to activate the outdoor environment and foster a sense of community. The landscape design for the project was specifically designed to connect the sidewalk to the shared amenity space and exterior stairway with varying pavement materials and a series of small Maple Trees and landscaping to maximize greenery in the courtyard.

We are excited to see these two projects complement each other and add meaningful density to the University District. b9 architects is always interested in creating thoughtfully designed spaces in all of our projects, no matter the size or budget, and we are thrilled to be working with a client interested in the same. Greta and Graceland are proving to be exemplary precedents of this project type in this neighborhood.

Completed in 2023 the 13th Avenue Apartments features one of b9 architects’ cleanest and simplest designs to date. Seeking our help in 2018, the client had already gone through an early design process with another architect, but the design they arrived at could not be realized due to code compliance issues. Through a flexible and collaborative design process, the team created an elegant, 20-unit infill project, mid-block on 13th Avenue in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. With an elegant and organized facade that belies its complicated design, the 13th Avenue Apartment represents excellence that can be achieved with the right client, material selection and detailing.

When the project first came to b9 architects, it looked very different. With another firm’s preliminary Design Review proposal that did not have a path to meeting Seattle’s land use, energy or building codes, our design team worked with the client to propose a new solution. After an initial site investigation, the client agreed to have b9 restart the design process, keeping the idea of two structures, but connecting them with a series of stacked exterior walkways and interior stairwell and elevator. This strategy allowed the “front” structure to act as a centerpiece for the design while the structure in the rear could act as a secondary element. With an engaged client and multiple b9 team members owning specific aspects of the project, the design process focused on collaboration and quick decision making to move the project forward, helping the client make up for lost time.

The project design takes advantage of the “single exit” allowance in the Seattle Building Code. Limited to 4 units per floor and a maximum distance between each unit’s entry and the stair and elevator, the project benefits from providing only one stair. The elevator permits the project to provide a small roof deck for all residents with access to amazing views of downtown Seattle, the Puget Sound and the Olympic Peninsula and Olympic Mountains beyond. The circulation spaces are the “connector” described above that tie the front and rear portions of the structure together. From the street, the building reads as two elements due to the circulation being inset from the north and south side facades. The rear facade shifts half of the mass to provide relief for the homes across the alley and to create a variety of unit types within the project.

Due to the dimensions of the site, the modulation at the center of the site creates relief to adjacent sites, similar to many of b9’s infill housing projects.  However, the difference at this site is that the front facade is purposely clear and simple. The Design Review process in Seattle frequently encourages projects to undulate massing to create depth along street frontages. With a site at 35’ wide by 120’ feet deep, we were adamant that the front façade should be flat and create depth and texture primarily with material expression. There is no space for the front facade. Instead of shifting in or out, the 13th Avenue Apartments relies on simple detailing, a brick frame or grid complemented with contrasting infill panels and large windows and doors. As an assembled integral colored material, brick creates texture and depth on the front volume of the project. Limited to two projecting balconies, this is the simplest front facade b9 has designed. When taken as a whole, the project is complex, carving out the center of the site to setback from an adjacent Single Family home to the south and established brick apartment to the north.

Happy New Year! At b9 architects, we have the good fortune of having a large portfolio of completed works. Due to the diligence and expertise of our clients, the majority of the residential projects we’ve designed are completed, a feat not all architecture firms have. In 2022, we examined a couple projects that, due to the economic realities of Seattle, were canceled mid-process. Due to the increasing costs of construction, longer permit entitlement processes, and current incentivisation programs in the municipal code - creating dense, rentable residential units is not always cost effective, especially on small or complicated sites. Here are case studies of two projects that did not move forward.

Midvale Apartment

The Midvale Apartment Building and its surrounding neighborhood were up zoned when the City of Seattle implemented the Mandatory Housing Affordability (MHA) legislation in 2019. Properties facing the main arterial, Stone Way, remained in the Neighborhood Commercial zone but received a height and allowable area increase.  The neighborhood to the west was largely shifted from the exclusive Single Family zone to the more flexible Residential Small Lot zone. Our site, however, and everything on the half block between the two received the intermediate Lowrise Multi-Family designation. 

As a potential transitional space between the more active Commercial Stone Way and the classic Seattle Single Family neighborhood, this site appeared to us as a space designated for small-scale, dense, rental housing. But in implementation, the zoning allowance does not reflect the true cost. A family-sized unit requirement, a one-time MHA fee payment, and construction complications made an apartment building at this site with the height and area restrictions infeasible. 

This Axonometric View of the surrounding blocks of the proposed project on Midvale Avenue North represents the existing zoning and development and in particular, it diagrams the different scales of surrounding residences and buildings between zones

While the MHA implementation unlocked this half block strip for potential multifamily redevelopment, higher density housing came with a family-sized unit requirement. For every 4 proposed units, one 2-bedroom (minimum 850 square feet) or for every two 2-bedroom units a single 3-bedroom unit (minimum 1,050 square feet) must be provided. In addition, any development under MHA (that does not provide affordable housing on site as part of the development) incurs a fee that must be paid to the city of Seattle before a building permit can be issued. The fee is a variable dollar amount per square foot that changes based on location within the City and the extent of the upzone. Alternatively, a project can choose to designate a portion of their units to rent for significantly less than market value for the first 75 years of the project. In our experience, the client almost always chooses the fee due to the complication of renting units through a city managed program and the future potential loss of rental income. At the same time, construction costs due to a lack of staging space on midblock sites, supply chain issues, and other national economic difficulties caused our client to rethink this project and focus elsewhere. The multiple requirements that previously would have made the projected income tight, but feasible, became too constricting as the project became short on projected rental income and desired number of overall units. We believe the zoning intended to create small apartment buildings with family-sized units, providing increased density near a commercial zone while also transitioning towards the more residential blocks of the existing neighborhood. Instead, due to the complexity described above, small townhouse structures and additional single family dwellings are being developed along this same zoning block. This is achieving a greater density than what previously existed, but still is creating single-family living at higher cost to future residents. Following the permitting of the small-scale 13-unit apartment building, our client chose to sell the site, resulting in the creation of a single family unit and a duplex structure.

As much as the City of Seattle needs to solve the lack of affordable housing and needs the addition of more family-sized rental units to the housing market, passing the cost of multiple housing initiatives - when applied at such small infill sites - onto the developer incentivizes the developer to avoid them entirely, where they instead pursue more predictable  projects with a greater financial upside and less risk.

Pictured is the proposed apartment project viewed from Midvale Ave N to the Northeast

An entry sequence was designed to bring residents and guest to the central open space of the site

The central space was designed to feel very open to allow air and light to activate the site and shared apartment spaces and to provide neighboring sites with massing relief

Fir Street

A very small site in Seattle’s Midrise Residential zone, the Fir Street project came to b9 architects as an apartment, proposed to take advantage of the increased capacity allowed under the MHA upzone. 

The site is located on a small peninsula of Midrise zone that is adjacent to the Yesler Terrace Master Planned Community and to the south of a small Neighborhood Commercial zone.  This site is visible from adjacent rights-of-way as it is surrounded by two parking lots and a garden owned by the neighboring Japanese Baptist Church to the west and the north, with an alley to the east. A pocket park is located across the street and the immediate context features many large new multifamily apartment structures that are part of the Yesler Terrace Master Planned Community.  

This Axonometric View of the surrounding blocks of the proposed project on E Fir Street and Broadway depicts the existing zoning and development and in particular, it diagrams the much larger scales of surrounding residences and buildings as well as the relative small size of the lot occupied by the proposed project.

The originally proposed massing for apartments on E Fir Street

The site dimensions and height allowance result in a vertical structure that helps anchor the pocket park across E Fir Street to the south and respond to the larger surrounding developments.  The proposal addresses this unique circumstance and emerges from a clear design concept. In response, the massing consists of an aggregation of “basalt columns” of various widths and heights.  These columns combine to create a subtle, yet dynamic building mass and landscape concept.  This design concept produces numerous modulations and material changes along all facades of the building.  The termination of the “columns” at different elevations along the facade creates opportunities for balconies, which further activate the facades of the building.

The project’s height is consistent with many of the newer buildings in the Yesler Terrace Master Planned Community to the south and west while the footprint is more consistent with the fourplexes, townhouses, and smaller apartment buildings to the east and north. Due to the small lot area, 2,400 square feet, the building would be unlike anything in the neighborhood. An innovative, 6-story apartment building, this Yesler Terrace project, touted by the DJC as an “infill infill project” would have yielded 15 rental units. The project was required to go through the city of Seattle’s Streamlined Design Review process as part of the permitting process.  Through this process, we proposed modifications to reduce the setbacks required in Seattle’s land use code in order to achieve the project goals of an infill apartment on this incredibly unique site. In our experience Design Review can and should allow for flexibility in order to respond to unique sites such as this one.  The design proposal was significantly less area than what is allowed by code. Unfortunately, the Design Review process resulted in a strict application of the land use code, eliminating the necessary area to make the “infill” infill apartment feasible. That, combined with the cost of construction, became untenable and so the project shifted to a less risky townhouse scope.

The proposed massing for the project featuring 15 units provided on site

The current proposal for 3 townhomes on the same site, currently in process

The height and capacity allowance in the Midrise zone, does not have the incentives necessary to take full advantage when the site does not conform to certain characteristics including size, access to utilities such as storm and sewer, and being clear of environmental critical areas like steep slopes or wetlands. While b9 architects, inc. enjoys designing townhouses and seeing their impact on the City, we recognize a need for a variety of housing solutions.

Over the past 20 years, b9 architects has garnered expertise in maximizing Seattle’s sites in smart and well-designed ways. Clients often choose our firm to help them navigate difficult sites, or design innovative projects to compete with larger rental properties down the street. In our experience, these small 10-30 unit infill apartments tend to be the projects most difficult to meet the financial model necessary to build. If the market isn’t completely on board, developers stop completely or change typology.

In 2023, we hope to explore ways to incentivize small and medium multifamily solutions to help our clients and partners better achieve the combined goals of better, denser, and more affordable housing in Seattle’s neighborhoods.  This will include examining the necessary code changes to expand the access to housing opportunities and levels of affordability in the current Neighborhood Residential zones.

As the first apartment project b9 architects was hired to do, The Portal in Fremont holds a special significance for the firm. From the outset, the client’s strategy included petitioning the City of Seattle for a site specific contract rezone, a process through which the City Planning Department, and finally the City Council could vote to change the parcel’s land use designation based on the development’s proposed design. In undergoing this process and extending the permit timeline, the project was able to gain floor area and height above the limit of its original zone requirements. Working through this process would also make this one of b9 architects’ most collaborative projects to date.

 From the beginning of the project, the team wanted to design a building that would feel rooted in the neighborhood. Through the Contract Rezone and Design Review process, b9 architects met with community members and organizations to hear their needs from the new project, and collaborate on the final design. Fremont, known for its eclecticism, is home to a number of famous public art spaces and events. Within walking distance of Portal, are the famous Fremont Troll, the Waiting for the Interurban statue and pergola, and the statue of Lenin. Annually the Fremont Solstice parade runs along 36th Avenue in Fremont featuring groups of nude, body painted cyclists. To match the community oriented spirit of the neighborhood, Portal was designed with a porous commercial space at street level. A restaurant space with roll up garage doors facing the street, and the building's interior courtyard allows customers and residents the ability to pour out into each space, blurring the boundaries between public and private space. This initial strategy carried through the entire Contract Rezone and collaborative processes with the community.

In general, a contract rezone through the City of Seattle would suit a larger development of aggregated parcels, covering perhaps a full block or more, and requiring design presentations to the neighborhood Design Review Board. If approved there, the strategy would be presented to the Seattle Hearing Examiner, who produces a report and recommendation to the Seattle City Council for approval. For Fremont Portal, the team committed early-on to undergo this process for this one 8,000 sq ft lot by itself. On a slope near North Lake Union, the site is adjacent to the historic landmark building of the Fremont Branch of the Seattle Public Library, and the historic George Washington Memorial Bridge (Aurora Bridge). To achieve this ambitious goal, the project team began several collaborative relationships; land use lawyer Josh Brower, joined the process early in the design review process to guide the team, while Principal Brad Khouri and architect Brian Johnson began a conversation with the Seattle Public Library and the Fremont Neighborhood Council to secure their support for the project.

The Seattle Department of Neighborhoods oversees all buildings with historic landmark status.  As part of the review, DON, wanting to ensure that the building proposal through the Contract Rezone did not obstruct  access to natural daylight, requested a shadow study to specifically examine how a building at an increased height would impact the three Reading Room windows on the landmark structure’s east facade. Fortunately, b9 had determined early in the project to create an internal courtyard that carved away building mass creating a void adjacent to the historic windows. After creating a shadow study in our BIM software, ArchiCAD, b9 architects chose to remove a unit from the top floor of the south west corner of the project to ensure the library kept its access to natural light. This move also created an opportunity for the project: to create a shared resident patio space on the fifth floor.

A second collaborator on the Portal, the Fremont Neighborhood Council was an important organization for the contract rezone process. Their support of the project would go a long way in securing approval from the Design Review Board, and other entitlement processes within the City of Seattle. The team reached out to the group early for their input and guidance on the project. In the conversation, the Fremont Neighborhood Council leadership pushed for more two bedroom units. In the initial Early Design Guidance meeting, the Design Review board asked for the proposed bulk and mass be reduced significantly along its north side, which resulted in the project losing sevenn of the eight proposed two bedroom units. After coordinating the reduction with the Design Review board with the ideal unit mix from the Fremont Neighborhood Council, the team found four more two bedroom units, while only reducing the total number of units by two, from 56 units to 54 units. For comparison, the code compliant version without the requested Contract Rezone would have resulted in 44 units. Per the Fremont Neighborhood Council’s recommendations the project went further in creating transparent spaces to combine the commercial and residential uses. Large windows to each commercial space flank the residential lobby creating a full line of sight through each space.

The Neighborhood Council also worked with the team to integrate public art installations with the project. The team reached out to 4Culture, a Seattle-based art advocacy group to orchestrate a search for public artists for the project, from Seattle and beyond. Local artist Caroline Davis represented b9 architects in the search that selected Verda Alexander, a renowned Los Angeles interior designer. Inspired by Fremont, Alexander iterated on her theme “Portal”, which would carry on as the project’s namesake, to create two pieces of public art. With a desire for the art to be intrinsic to the building, rather than additional, Alexander worked with our design team to detail the building's siding, engraving the art directly into the sourced brick cladding. A second art piece, originally proposed as a glass mural attached to the project, became vinyl applied directly to metal siding to best resemble actual building cladding.

Thanks to a highly collaborative design process facilitated by the Contract Rezone, the Fremont Portal is an elegant addition to the eclectic Seattle neighborhood. Replacing traditional hallways, exterior walkways provide abundant light and open air on at least two sides of project units. A courtyard, privately managed, but publicly accessible exists at street level, abutted by the restaurant space, currently leased by Just Burgers, and the landscaping of the Fremont Branch Library. Shared community areas, including the central courtyard at street level, the shared balcony on the fifth floor, and a large roof deck provide outdoor space. The theme of community collaboration continues through the resident experience as a miniature p-patch in galvanized steel planter boxes on the roof provides residents a space to grow their own plants and vegetables. Fremont Portal exemplifies for b9 architects  what can be accomplished in a truly collaborative process that benefits the neighborhood.

b9’s own Mixed-Use apartment, Robin’s Nest is a finalist in NAIOP’s 2020 Night of the Stars Awards. Along with three other Puget Sound Area Projects, Robin’s Nest is up for Multi-Family Residential Development of the Year: Fewer than 100 Units.

Representing b9 architects’ most visible project and one of the firm’s most difficult projects, we are proud of the highly collaborative process that resulted in such a great building. Read more about it here.