SUNSET ELECTRIC
SUNSET ELECTRIC
LOT SIZE: 14,407 SF BUILDING SIZE: 99,706 SF SEATTLE, WA MULTIFAMILY RESIDENTIAL
In Seattle, mid-rise developer built apartments are often built on a number of habitual assumptions: exterior materials are a standard kit of parts, sustainability goals are the bare minimum to meet market demand and city requirements, parking meets a market-determined ratio, residential units are double-loaded along conditioned corridors maximizing floor plate efficiency, and extravagant interior residential amenities are provided to draw tenants. Existing buildings – if not landmark protected – are torn down while large lot parcels are assembled to maximize new development.
The courtyard plan layout offers residential units windows at both ends to provide excellent cross ventilation, a key feature to eliminate mechanical cooling in our mild Northwest climate.
Sunset Electric breaks all these rules.
In addition to reducing common area conditioning and ventilation, measures were taken with environmental sustainability in mind. A centralized domestic hot water system is tied to the garage exhaust in an innovative way, a green roof mitigates stormwater and the heat island effect, and reclaimed wood from the original historic building comes to life as barn doors, stair treads and kitchen shelving.
To understand why this is successful, we first consider site and context. In Capitol Hill’s historic Auto Row, the City of Seattle issued a planning ordinance – the Pike/Pine Character Structure Overlay – incentivizing retaining historic facades in exchange for additional building height. Detailed appropriately, using high-quality yet monochrome cladding, the resulting new building blends an historic brick and terra-cotta façade with a modern background addition inspired by the historic base. Concealed within the development is the hollowed out core of the building creating a courtyard, with materials that reflect light and provide a semi-private sanctuary for residents.
One glimpses the courtyard from the open-air lobby – a unique feature that hearkens back to older domestic and European apartment buildings. As a result, tenants are not indoors until they reach the front door of their unit. In fact, very little enclosed common space is provided in the building; the neighborhood serves as the tenant amenity (along with a roof deck with incredible views).
Aggressive energy goals for Sunset Electric led to LEED-Homes Platinum Certification, a case study by Seattle’s 2030 District and recognition by the Quality Growth Alliance.
Group Health
Link Light Rail Station
1/4 Mile Radius
SITE & NEIGHBORHOOD The project leverages its location in its building program. The site is centrally located, bike and pedestrian-friendly, well served by transit, and has a Walk Score of 100. It has no gym, no theater room. Here, the neighborhood is the amenity.
Seattle Central College
Cal Anderson Park
Metro Bus Lines SITE
First Hill Streetcar
Seattle University
2030 District Boundary
The added benefits for this approach to program are improved efficiency of leasable space, reduced energy and water use, and a stronger connection between the project, its residents, and the neighborhood.
EXISTING HISTORIC BUILDING As one of the first participants in the City of Seattle Pike/Pine Character Structure Overlay, the development team opted to preserve the historic (but not landmarkeligible) facade, in exchange for ten extra feet of allowable building height. The project preserves the existing brick and terra cotta from 1926, and the five-story addition acts as a neutral “foil” to the historic facade.
BUILDING MASSING In early concept design, the project team investigated three options for the massing of the structure.
1
2
3
CODE-PRESCRIPTIVE APPROACH: 15’ SETBACK FROM
HISTORIC CHARACTER FAÇADE
ALL NEW CONSTRUCTION:
HISTORIC CHARACTER FAÇADE DEMOLISHED
PREFERRED SCHEME:
REDUCED SETBACK FROM HISTORIC CHARACTER FAÇADE
In order to preserve the existing character façade, the preferred scheme (3) allowed the building to have a courtyard in the middle, helping to create a smarter, high-performance, energy-efficient building.
THE FAÇADE The upper façade strived to realize the texture, detail and depth associated with the original building’s historical period. The major vertical elements follow the rhythm, spacing and vocabulary of the original building. A high-quality phenolic metal panel in a monochromatic gunmetal finish elevates the look and feel of the building. EARLY CONCEPT SKETCH
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT WALL SECTION RENDERING
Exaggerated window sills create shadow lines and an additional layer of depth. A vertical reveal lightens the appearance of the major pilasters above the existing façade.
1:00 pm | June 21
1:00 pm | March – September 21
The courtyard was designed with careful consideration of the quality of light and planting that appreciates the shade. Shadow studies demonstrated that direct sunlight would reach the courtyard floor not just at the height of summer but in the spring and fall as well. 1:00 pm | December 21
FLOOR PLANS The arrangement of program was carefully considered in the context of the site and surrounds. Retail is located along an existing strip of active shops and bars along 11th Avenue. The open-air lobby and leasing office is placed mid block. Stairs lead to a five-story internal courtyard. Criss-crossing steel walkways provide access to unit entries.
ROOF / AMENITY LEVEL PLAN
TYPICAL RESIDENTIAL LEVEL PLAN
RAMP DOWN
E PINE STREET
ALLEY
LIVE/WORK
LOBBY
RETAIL
11TH AVENUE
GROUND LEVEL PLAN
The roof deck amenity provides views of the Space Needle, Mount Rainier, downtown and surrounding Capitol Hill.
THE LOBBY The lobby is a lower extension of the outdoor courtyard, connecting the bustling Pine Street to the inner open-air refuge. Residents enter the lobby through a custom steel gate inspired by the window patterning of the historic building. After being greeted by the leasing and management staff, they proceed to the elevators or walk one flight up a feature stair to the central landscaped courtyard. This promenade is well-suited to our mild Northwest climate.
open lobby
cal anderson park
line of sight
/////////////////
green wall
green screen
line of sight
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////
green roof
/////////////////////////
//////////////////////////
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////
occupied roof deck w/green roof
open courtyard
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////// / / / / / / / / / / / //////////
ENERGY PERFORMANCE ESTIMATES
WATER PERFORMANCE ESTIMATES
BUILDING SYSTEMS The building employs both passive and active performance strategies. Passive design strategies include moving common areas and corridors outside to reduce space conditioning and lighting loads. The courtyard arrangement promotes natural ventilation and daylighting.
EUI for bldg 22KBtu/SF/yr EUI baseline 63* *2030 Challenge
Active systems tie the domestic hot water loop to a reverse-cycle chiller (RCC), similar to a heat pump, drawing latent heat from the below-grade garage.
65%
reduction
30% Reduction
CROSS-VENTILATION IN RESIDENTIAL UNITS GARAGE EXHAUST
REVERSE CYCLE CHILLER SYSTEM DOMESTIC HOT WATER SYSTEM
Tall grasses and a green roof provides a lush foreground to the breathtaking views of downtown while mitigating storm water and heat island effect. The roof deck features a lounging area, fire pit, and barbeque grill for residents.
The quality of light and views in the units is achieved through expansive glazing.
Sunset Electric is located in the heart of the Pike/Pine district of Capitol Hill surrounded by dense variety and vitality – prompting the design team to include fewer traditional multi-family amenities.
LOT SIZE: 14,407 SF BUILDING SIZE: 99,706 SF SEATTLE, WA MULTIFAMILY RESIDENTIAL
In Seattle, mid-rise developer built apartments are often built on a number of habitual assumptions: exterior materials are a standard kit of parts, sustainability goals are the bare minimum to meet market demand and city requirements, parking meets a market-determined ratio, residential units are double-loaded along conditioned corridors maximizing floor plate efficiency, and extravagant interior residential amenities are provided to draw tenants. Existing buildings – if not landmark protected – are torn down while large lot parcels are assembled to maximize new development.
The courtyard plan layout offers residential units windows at both ends to provide excellent cross ventilation, a key feature to eliminate mechanical cooling in our mild Northwest climate.
Sunset Electric breaks all these rules.
In addition to reducing common area conditioning and ventilation, measures were taken with environmental sustainability in mind. A centralized domestic hot water system is tied to the garage exhaust in an innovative way, a green roof mitigates stormwater and the heat island effect, and reclaimed wood from the original historic building comes to life as barn doors, stair treads and kitchen shelving.
To understand why this is successful, we first consider site and context. In Capitol Hill’s historic Auto Row, the City of Seattle issued a planning ordinance – the Pike/Pine Character Structure Overlay – incentivizing retaining historic facades in exchange for additional building height. Detailed appropriately, using high-quality yet monochrome cladding, the resulting new building blends an historic brick and terra-cotta façade with a modern background addition inspired by the historic base. Concealed within the development is the hollowed out core of the building creating a courtyard, with materials that reflect light and provide a semi-private sanctuary for residents.
One glimpses the courtyard from the open-air lobby – a unique feature that hearkens back to older domestic and European apartment buildings. As a result, tenants are not indoors until they reach the front door of their unit. In fact, very little enclosed common space is provided in the building; the neighborhood serves as the tenant amenity (along with a roof deck with incredible views).
Aggressive energy goals for Sunset Electric led to LEED-Homes Platinum Certification, a case study by Seattle’s 2030 District and recognition by the Quality Growth Alliance.
Group Health
Link Light Rail Station
1/4 Mile Radius
SITE & NEIGHBORHOOD The project leverages its location in its building program. The site is centrally located, bike and pedestrian-friendly, well served by transit, and has a Walk Score of 100. It has no gym, no theater room. Here, the neighborhood is the amenity.
Seattle Central College
Cal Anderson Park
Metro Bus Lines SITE
First Hill Streetcar
Seattle University
2030 District Boundary
The added benefits for this approach to program are improved efficiency of leasable space, reduced energy and water use, and a stronger connection between the project, its residents, and the neighborhood.
EXISTING HISTORIC BUILDING As one of the first participants in the City of Seattle Pike/Pine Character Structure Overlay, the development team opted to preserve the historic (but not landmarkeligible) facade, in exchange for ten extra feet of allowable building height. The project preserves the existing brick and terra cotta from 1926, and the five-story addition acts as a neutral “foil” to the historic facade.
BUILDING MASSING In early concept design, the project team investigated three options for the massing of the structure.
1
2
3
CODE-PRESCRIPTIVE APPROACH: 15’ SETBACK FROM
HISTORIC CHARACTER FAÇADE
ALL NEW CONSTRUCTION:
HISTORIC CHARACTER FAÇADE DEMOLISHED
PREFERRED SCHEME:
REDUCED SETBACK FROM HISTORIC CHARACTER FAÇADE
In order to preserve the existing character façade, the preferred scheme (3) allowed the building to have a courtyard in the middle, helping to create a smarter, high-performance, energy-efficient building.
THE FAÇADE The upper façade strived to realize the texture, detail and depth associated with the original building’s historical period. The major vertical elements follow the rhythm, spacing and vocabulary of the original building. A high-quality phenolic metal panel in a monochromatic gunmetal finish elevates the look and feel of the building. EARLY CONCEPT SKETCH
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT WALL SECTION RENDERING
Exaggerated window sills create shadow lines and an additional layer of depth. A vertical reveal lightens the appearance of the major pilasters above the existing façade.
1:00 pm | June 21
1:00 pm | March – September 21
The courtyard was designed with careful consideration of the quality of light and planting that appreciates the shade. Shadow studies demonstrated that direct sunlight would reach the courtyard floor not just at the height of summer but in the spring and fall as well. 1:00 pm | December 21
FLOOR PLANS The arrangement of program was carefully considered in the context of the site and surrounds. Retail is located along an existing strip of active shops and bars along 11th Avenue. The open-air lobby and leasing office is placed mid block. Stairs lead to a five-story internal courtyard. Criss-crossing steel walkways provide access to unit entries.
ROOF / AMENITY LEVEL PLAN
TYPICAL RESIDENTIAL LEVEL PLAN
RAMP DOWN
E PINE STREET
ALLEY
LIVE/WORK
LOBBY
RETAIL
11TH AVENUE
GROUND LEVEL PLAN
The roof deck amenity provides views of the Space Needle, Mount Rainier, downtown and surrounding Capitol Hill.
THE LOBBY The lobby is a lower extension of the outdoor courtyard, connecting the bustling Pine Street to the inner open-air refuge. Residents enter the lobby through a custom steel gate inspired by the window patterning of the historic building. After being greeted by the leasing and management staff, they proceed to the elevators or walk one flight up a feature stair to the central landscaped courtyard. This promenade is well-suited to our mild Northwest climate.
open lobby
cal anderson park
line of sight
/////////////////
green wall
green screen
line of sight
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////
green roof
/////////////////////////
//////////////////////////
///////////////////////////////////////////////////////
occupied roof deck w/green roof
open courtyard
/////////////////////////////////////////////////////// / / / / / / / / / / / //////////
ENERGY PERFORMANCE ESTIMATES
WATER PERFORMANCE ESTIMATES
BUILDING SYSTEMS The building employs both passive and active performance strategies. Passive design strategies include moving common areas and corridors outside to reduce space conditioning and lighting loads. The courtyard arrangement promotes natural ventilation and daylighting.
EUI for bldg 22KBtu/SF/yr EUI baseline 63* *2030 Challenge
Active systems tie the domestic hot water loop to a reverse-cycle chiller (RCC), similar to a heat pump, drawing latent heat from the below-grade garage.
65%
reduction
30% Reduction
CROSS-VENTILATION IN RESIDENTIAL UNITS GARAGE EXHAUST
REVERSE CYCLE CHILLER SYSTEM DOMESTIC HOT WATER SYSTEM
Tall grasses and a green roof provides a lush foreground to the breathtaking views of downtown while mitigating storm water and heat island effect. The roof deck features a lounging area, fire pit, and barbeque grill for residents.
The quality of light and views in the units is achieved through expansive glazing.
Sunset Electric is located in the heart of the Pike/Pine district of Capitol Hill surrounded by dense variety and vitality – prompting the design team to include fewer traditional multi-family amenities.
