The Stack
Strategically situated in the puget sound, Bainbridge Island serves as a gateway between Seattle and the Olympic Peninsula. The island is roughly the same size as Manhattan and has a population of approximately 24,000. Island residents are well informed, have a deep concern for the environment and play an active role in shaping their community. A 30-minute ferry ride from Downtown Seattle, Bainbridge Island has its fair share of commuters but also attracts more visitors per year than Seattle’s space needle. The island is home to a myriad of restaurants, coffee shops, retail establishments and national/international businesses such as sage and avalara.
The modest, irregularly shaped lot sits in the “core” of this island community and is zoned mixed-use. Efforts to increase density and improve the “core” have been underway for several years. Recent projects included the Bainbridge Island Art Museum, Main Street improvements, Town and Country grocery store renovations, Waterfront Park Masterplan and the proposed Boat House at the west end of the Waterfront Park. This is an ideal location to enjoy a healthy, exciting, gracious lifestyle without the use of an automobile. The Stack is a 10,000 square foot mixed-use building with a small office and a high-end bunkhouse with a community room on the street level and five luxury rentals on the second and third level.
The site is located within a quarter mile of the Bainbridge ferry terminal and a short block from the main street. In addition, Bainbridge Island is a destination or cyclist and boasters. The city dock and boat launch is a part of the Waterfront Park and slated for major improvements this next year. Several private docks that operate in Eagle Harbor are within comfortable walking distance of the project site. The island is host to the Chilly Hilly during the month of February. The event has been held for the past 42 years and is sponsored by the cascade cycle club.
The form of the proposed building was inspired by a technique of stacking wood to naturally dry it before use. The design and project name “The Stack” is intended to be a respectful tribute to the island’s rich logging and ship building history. The cedar rain-screen planks that cover the exterior of the building harken back to the 1800s when the island’s huge, accessible cedars were in high demand for ships masts. The irregular stacking of the blocks in this proposal conform to the lots unusual geometry, facilitate natural ventilation, provide an abundance of spaces for outdoor living and preserve the mature trees around the perimeter of the property.
The central space created by the stacked blocks is covered with a translucent roof and houses the stairs/lifts that access the rental units. Terminating at the communal roof deck with views of the Seattle skyline. The blocks sit on the concrete walls that define the open parking area. Relaxing parking requirements are in effect due to the property’s proximity to the ferry terminal. The parking area will be restricted to electric vehicles, bikes, electric car shaping services and charging stations. The blocks were deigned with a 16-foot width to accommodate modular off-site construction – an attempt to minimize disruption to the neighborhood and expedite construction process.
