Brown Guest House
This project was designed for a couple and their two teenage children. The site is a narrow sloping site along shore of Lake Washington in Bellevue, Washington, with views of the Olympic Mountains and the Seattle skyline.
The Owner requested the Guest House be consistent with the Main Structure on the Property and evoke a more traditional aesthetic built of permanent materials, including green slate roofs, Wilkerson sandstone, copper for gutters and shed roofs, pre-cast concrete, mahogany windows and doors, and blue stone paving. Heavy timber trellises were designed to be constructed of reclaimed timbers. The program included a combined Living/Sleeping Area with Kitchenette and Bath and a generous Outdoor Terrace facing the water with both Covered and Uncovered Entertainment Spaces. The Guest House was outfitted with a state of the art entertainment system and features whole-house electronic integration similar to the Main House.
The Main House sits to the east atop a steep slope which levels out to a waterfront lawn. After studying the stability of the slope, the Owner decided to construct the new Guest House as an earth sheltered building integrated into the slope and supporting the upper bank. The resulting Green Roof presents a much softer face to the Main House above. Substantial Wood Timbered Trellis elements were added to both the Main Structure and the Guest House to help tie the two Building together. The Terraces and Trellises of the Guest House serve to embrace the lower portions of the Site and all the recreational activities related to the waterfront. The Docks and Bulkheads were rebuilt as well. This Project was designed while working as a consultant to Sortun-Vos Architects.
Construction was completed in 2000.
