by Darren Chang

The Pacific Northwest (PNW) is geographically defined as a portion of the North America continent bordered by the northeastern Pacific Ocean on the west and the Rocky Mountains on the east, generally conceived as encompassing the states of Oregon, Washington, Idaho and the province of British Columbia. The long and narrow coastal region of the PNW is known for its unique climate: cool and dry summers alternating with temperate and wet winters. The region partially falls along the northern edge of the a climate zone known as the Mediterranean Climate, which typically occurs 30 to 44 north and south latitude. The higher latitude of the Seattle-Vancouver region makes these cities an outlier. The climate is sometimes characterized as a “modified Mediterranean” climate because is is cooler and wetter than a “true” Mediterranean climate, but shares the characteristic dry summer.[1] The weather in the Pacific Northwest may also remind one of another region to which we happen to have a strong cultural tie - the Northern Europe, aka Scandinavia. The two regions share the similar cold, dark, and wet winter, although we tend to be better off than our European cousins.

1632 15th Ave, Seattle WA. A prototypical early PNW house design.

The gloomy and wet raining season, as well as the abundance of forests in the area, have significantly informed the regional house design. As a result, we see a few common features among early PNW houses: wood frames, high-pitched roofs, wood sidings, covered outdoor spaces. The wood elements come from the readily available timbers in the region. High-pitched roof is a design to effectively guide the precipitation away. The covered outdoor spaces provide the inhabitants a sheltered space to enjoy the outside during the inclement weather.

In the early 20th century, the Modernist Movement finally reached the Pacific Northwest, which was often considered a backwater of the cultural scene on the national level. Around mid-20th century, the new language of the Northwest Modern began to be spoken by architects such as Paul Hayden Kirk [2]. Informed by the long cloudy raining season and undulating terrain, the vocabulary included large overhang, covered outdoor spaces, expansive glass panes, and selective orientation toward views. Benefiting from the advancement of glass technology, the large windows allow more light to come in during the gloomy winters. If the homeowner is fortunate to have a sloping site facing a view, the entrance sequence typically starts on the single-story street side, and proceeds to become a two-story building on the downhill side facing the scenery. Wood framing and siding continue to be characteristic of the style. Roof pitch has been drastically reduced to become flat or near flat, reflecting the modernist aesthetics, and probably enabled by the development of roofing membrane technology.

Lake City Clinic (Paul Hayden Kirk). The emergence of the Northwest Modern with large overhangs, expansive glass windows, and the extensive use of timber in framing and siding.

Around the turn of the millennium, local architects continued to evolve the Northwest Modern. The use of steel and new window systems allowed the structures to be more gravity-defiant, more transparent, and generally larger. The material palette becomes more eclectic to include concrete, stone, wood, steel and corten steel. Similar as the earlier Modernist, these houses have a pronounced horizontally stratified aesthetics. The eave, the floor framing, and the cantilevered outdoor decks run parallel and project confidently into the distance. Filling between the horizontal planes are large window walls that allow the view and light to come through, and connect the indoor to the outdoor, or more solid fascade when higher insulation values or more privacy are needed. In this sense, the blood of classic Modernism still flows abundantly in the veins of Northwest Modern.

There are, however, at least two contemporary architectural trends that have influenced some architects who operate in the Pacific Northwest context. The first one is the emphasis on the sectional relationship between the different parts of the building. In addition to the classic free plan, sectional spaces start to flow freely from one to another through open atriums, internal stairs, and outdoor terraces. This sectional flow breaks up the horizontal stratification discussed above, obscuring the horizontal vocabulary that has been a quintessential character of Modernist houses from mid-20th century to today. The second trend is the deconstruction of building elements such as roof, wall, and floor. These elements begin to blend and join. As the transition becomes increasingly smooth, their identities become increasingly ambiguous. These two trends work together to make the building less linear and more sculptural.

Therefore, a style that I consider to echo more of the era starts to emerge. In this new style, regional features such as overhangs, covered outdoor spaces, and transparent facade persist, but they become more integrated. Rather than separate add-ons, they start to morph into one another, and make sculptural gestures that are also seen on other avant garde designs around the world. This is the Northwest Modern infused with the globalism of the 21st century. This is a New Northwest Modern.

Some noticeable architects who represent the New Northwest Modern that come to my mind are the Patkaus and Todd Saunders. I had the honor of meeting John Patkau in 2009 at his Vancouver office, who graciously gave each of me and my wife a copy of their book Patkau Architects, with an introduction by Kenneth Frampton. [6] The Patkaus are not prolific architects by any measure; their built projects are small in quantity. Yet I have always been struck by the originality and ingenuity of their design, far surpassing some architects with higher fame or output. I would have asked the Patkaus to design my personal home without hesitation if I were not an architect myself and had the money. In reality their works serve as eternal inspiration and role model for my own creative work.

I first learned about Todd Saunders at the Seattle Housing Design Forum 2022. Todd was the keynote speaker and talked about his projects in the Scandinavia and Canada. His talk got me intrigued and the following week I was lucky to find a copy of his book Todd Saunders: New Northern Houses [7] at Peter Miller’s bookstore. Just like the presentation, the book is a treat. The minimal yet sculptural form of Todd’s custom houses are enticing. Simple compared to the geniusly choreographed moves of the Patkaus’, Todd’s design is still elegant and within reach. The succinctness probably comes from his Scandinavian background. He has probably just one on-going project in the Seattle area, but as I said earlier, the North European climate which played such an influential role in Todd’s design is similar to the Pacific Northwest, therefore his design is very relevant as a reference to the design in the PNW.

Todd really emphasized the provision of sheltered outdoor space to connect the inhabitants to the outdoor even during the long winters. Different from the traditional PNW style by Olson Kundig, where this would be accomplished by a huge steel-and-glass overhang, this is done by peeling out or carving into the massing, so the building still maintains its sculptural stance. Form and function do not follow one another; they come to a balance with mutual comfort. I will discuss more about this in another blog entry.

To summarize, throughout the time span of a century or so, the evolution of the house design style in the Pacific Northwest has maintained a few common characters as a response to the unchanging climatic and geographic contexts. Whether it is a gable roof with protruding eave, or a flat roof with a separately attached overhang, or a sculptural form with shelter carved out of the massing, the successive generations along the historic timeline all try to address the same challenge posed by the regional climate. The physical environment has barely shifted, yet the design philosophies have evolved under the environmental pressure from the larger global trend. It would be exciting to see where it is going next.

A simple diagram that shows the evolution of the Northwest Modern (Darren’s sketch).

References:

Dale D. Goble; Paul W. Hirt (March 15, 2012). Northwest Lands, Northwest Peoples: Readings in Environmental History. University of Washington Press. pp. 58–59. ISBN 978-0-295-80137-7.
Dale Kutzera (May 21, 2021). Paul Hayden Kirk and the Rise of Northwest Modern. Seattle WA: Salmon Bay Books.
Olson Kundig. Bigwood Residence (n.d.). https://olsonkundig.com/projects/bigwood-residence/
Olson Kundig. The Dragonfly Residence (n.d.). https://olsonkundig.com/projects/dragonfly/
Archdaily. Hadaway House / Patkau Architects (n.d.). https://www.archdaily.com/610622/hadaway-house-patkau-architects
Kenneth Frampton (June 8, 2006). Patkau Architects. New York, NY: The Monacelli Press, Inc.
Dominic Bradbury (November 30, 2021). Todd Saunders: New Northern Houses. London, UK: Thames & Hudson.
Saunders Architecture. Villa S+E (n.d.). https://www.saunders.no/villa-se
Saunders Architecture. Villa Austevoll (n.d.). https://www.saunders.no/villa-austevoll