The Bungalow Apartments is a two-story rooftop addition, containing 28 new units to accommodate a growing demand of residents in the heart of Seattle’s Queen Anne Neighborhood. The original building was constructed in 1906 and includes six street-facing commercial spaces and two stories of residential units. Throughout its history, the building has experienced several significant alterations and survived two fires.

To bring the 111-year old building up to twenty-first century standards, improvements include a complete fire, structural, seismic, energy, and building code upgrade to the existing residential units. Re-imagining the circulation of the existing structure as an efficient interior corridor, stair and elevator systems will create an opportunity for the exterior walkways to be converted into private balconies for each unit. 

The two-story rooftop addition itself is set back from the street and stands in modern contrast to the building below.  The exterior will be treated in a dark tone in vertical bands. Large, floor-to-ceiling windows and little ornamentation add to the minimalist aesthetic. Below, the existing building’s current exterior stucco will be removed and replaced with light-colored horizontal siding, reminiscent of its original lap siding. The opposition in exterior treatments nods to the Bungalow Apartments history while embracing the inherent juxtaposition of old and new. At street level, the six commercial spaces activate the already walkable neighborhood and provide a pedestrian-oriented anchor to the homes above. The storefronts will benefit from the removal of an oversized awning to be replaced with a modern, lighter sun shade.

In total, the renovations and additions to the Bungalow Apartments will provide much needed modernization to the building, the final product being contemporary, while still appropriate and contextual within the historic, vibrant, and expanding neighborhood.

Project Information

CLIENT
Pacific West Construction & Maintenance

LOCATION
Seattle, WA (Queen Anne)

PROJECT TYPE
Multi-Family Housing
Mixed-Use
Remodel + Addition

COMPLETED
January 2020

SCOPE
Full Design Services
Building + Code Upgrade Assessment

AREA
42,000 SF
52 Units (30 New) + 6 Commercial Spaces

PROJECT TEAM
Schemata Workshop (Architect)
Dean Alan Architects (Architect)
Degenkolb Engineers (Structural)
Coterra Engineering (Civil)
Hultz BHU Engineers (Mech/Elec)