Swenson Say Faget

SSF’s False Bay project with Heliotrope Architects was recently featured on the cover of Portrait Magazine. The home presented several engineering challenges, including a robust lateral design to resist strong wind loads. In the feature, Heliotrope Principal Joe Herrin describes the site constraints that shaped the design:

“...those winds could reach up to eighty miles an hour, with rain falling sideways, so any house built there would need to be able to withstand the weather. Additional challenges included two neighboring houses, one on either side of the site, which could create privacy issues, and several rock outcroppings. Many of the latter are clustered along the shore, but one was ‘as tall as a house,’ says Herrin, and located on the street side of the lot, all of which served to hem in the available buildable area... The resulting home took on a ‘bowtie shape’ to accommodate the constraints, with a narrower ‘neck’ at the middle, and two wide, triangular tips at opposing corners.”

Thank you to Portrait Magazine for the feature, and to Heliotrope and DME Construction for your partnership on this project.

Read more: https://www.portraitmagazine.com/68-breath-of-fresh-air

Voting is open for the 14th Annual Architizer A+Awards, and West Canal Yards, our project with Graham Baba Architects, has been named one of five finalists worldwide in the Architecture + Renewal category! Vote through the link in our bio.

West Canal Yards is the renovation and adaptive reuse of two existing industrial seafood warehouses along the Lake Washington Ship Canal, just east of the Ballard Bridge. Building 1100 adds a second floor to the east portion of the former cold storage building, increasing the structure from 104,000 SF to 132,000 SF. SSF’s structural scope included a complete seismic retrofit, support for new exterior wall fenestration, and new canopies, ramps, custom stairs, and a roof deck.

The project reflects a thoughtful approach to adaptive reuse, transforming existing industrial buildings for new uses.

Photography: Ed Sozinho

Voting is open for the 14th Annual Architizer A+Awards, and iolair, our project with GO'C , has been named one of five finalists worldwide in the Gallery & Exhibition Spaces category. Vote through the link in our bio!

iolair is a foundation dedicated to bringing artists from around the world to live, create, and share their work with the local community and beyond, drawing inspiration from the unique landscape of Orcas Island. The residency includes a wood-framed artist-in-residence studio and gallery space with large roof overhangs and thin metal canopies. It includes a working loft over the gallery studio, a small kitchen, two bathrooms, and a private sleeping room. The L-shaped building provides a courtyard for outdoor installations and a gathering space.

Photography: Kevin Scott