West Blakely Residence
Bainbridge Island, Washington
Site: The property is located on the south end of the Island and was originally a corner grocery store for the timber mill community in the early 1900s. Built as such, the building has a concrete storage level that daylights to the south and a wood framed upper story at street level where wooden sidewalks once connected it to the street. Adjacent to the grocery store is a spacious bow truss woodworking studio building.
Program: Convert the grocery store into a home for the two owners with the features of a New York City loft and a full guest apartment for European relatives to stay on extended visits to the States. Connect the two levels of the building with an internal stair to replace the existing external access.
Solution: The existing concrete lower level and exposed steel beams will be maintained and enhanced by radiant floor heating and wood ceiling slats. Intended to be used as a guest apartment, the kitchen, bedroom, laundry, and spacious living room will open up via aluminum and glass rolling garage doors to a central southern courtyard. The main entry and new stair tower will be placed between the studio and the residence affording central circulation. The upper-most floor of the stair tower houses the owners’ office with pastoral views to the south and the west. Siding materials for the tower are Parklex Plywood siding from Finland, separated with aluminum channels. The upper level walls of the building will be demolished and rebuilt, though the existing concrete floors will remain and provide radiant heat under a bamboo floor covering. The sleeping loft area will be above the kitchen supported on exposed beams. Separation and railings for the loft are created by the closet cabinets, which have finished panels on all sides and can be seen from the great room below. The newly constructed upper floor is sided with conventional cedar siding with aluminum channels, adding texture to the elevation.
Experience: A project of Kriegh Architects
Date: 2005
