DOUBLE VISION

STARTING WITH A ERECTED TWIN SPLIT SINGLE-FAMILY TOWNHOMES THAT LOT IN SEATTLE'S ARE A TEMPLATE FOR CENTRAL DISTRICT, A THE FUTURE OF HIGHLOCAL DESIGN/BUILD DENSITY, HIGH-STYLE DEVELOPMENT FIRM HOUSING.

- CHRISTINE LENNON

The oxidized corten steel exterior is the first thing passersby notice about the two townhomes occupying a corner lot on Seattle's Alder Street. The exterior, with its large windows and modern lines, is a break from the norm in the neighborhood landscape of cottages and Craftsman bungalows. But the rust-tone steel echoes the color of the brick façade of the high school across the street, and the pitch of the roof matches that of the homes nearby, and, improbably, it all works. It's like a new patch stitched into an ever-evolving urban quilt.

"The other day someone pulled up and parked in front of the house and started asking us questions about it," says Brent Large, who lives in one of the two houses on the newly developed lot with his wife and two children. "I've never lived in a house where people just walk up and tell you how much they like it." Robert Humble, a principal of Hybrid Architecture and the lead architect on this project-who's been spearheading similar, community-focused projects in the neighborhood for the past 15 years-had a vested interest in the success of this corner lot construction.

"I live about five blocks away," says Humble, whose team also acts as developers, finding unused lots and spaces to create "in-fill" housing that increases the population without compromising local character. "People who own properties in the area contact us and give us 'editorial control of their lot that benefits the community. We build housing that doesn't displace our neighbors and retains the streetscape and characteristics of the neighborhood."