Wake Up Seattle

Seattle – Wake up and Take a Look!

For years, the City of Seattle has been going on about ‘urban villages’ and ‘densifying the population’ (and how will the roads handle that?) however, there are good ways and bad ways to achieve the goal of densification. Australia has some examples in the photos above.

Basically, they’ve taken large suburban lots and have put up to 6 units where a single family house used to be. These are large lots, but this area, The Illawarra, is a long sliver of land between the Escarpment and the ocean. In fact, that’s one of the translations for this Aboriginal name.

These units, often not more than two stories, are usually very tastefully done. Lots of architectural details and set up in such a way as to make them interesting to look at, often creating a central plaza feeling to the complex. I really like some of the ways these are laid out.

Naturally there are some resemble a square box with no imagination and bizarre parking situations for the unlucky tenants who occupy them. A prime example of how NOT to design a nice space is the first picture of the red brick building next to the train station. (I'll enter these examples later). It could’ve been done so much better like others in the neighbourhood.

I’ve always been interested in architecture that works. It must be a genetic thing as my great Uncle Nelson was an architect with plenty of buildings in Tacoma he designed. Now you know another of my secrets, love of good architecture.

Read and comment please…and visit!