Architect: Chadbourne + Doss Architects
Location: Portage Bay, Seattle, Washington, USA
Constructed Area: 221 sqm
Project year: 2008
Photographs: Benjamin Benschneider
This house is part of a large waterfront property that has been incorporated into a condominium development that includes 4 detached residences and 2 houseboats. Residents share waterfront access, parking, utilities, and a shared vegetable garden. While sharing costs, amenities, and responsibilities; a stronger sense of community is established.
The Lobster Boat is a metaphor for a house that is economical, purposeful, and durable. Located on a dense urban shoreline site, this residence strives to celebrate its location while providing privacy to its family. A remodel built on an existing 24′ x 28′ floor and basement foundation infrastructure, the constraints of site and footprint result in an efficient vertical house that reaches the maximum allowable zoning envelope to provide a variety of interior and exterior spaces. Economy is embodied in every aspect of this project including the sharing of site resources; reuse of existing structure & utilities; efficient spatial organization; and the selection of materials and systems based on low monetary, environmental, and life-cycle costs.
Products in this project
Bathroom Equipment: Toto , Duravit
- Aquia II toilets by Toto
- Sinks by Duravit
Facades: Lumasite, CBF, Western Red Cedar
- Interior Translucent Pantry Cladding: Frost by Lumasite
- Cembonit cladding sheets by CBF
- Natural, powder-coated steel by Western Red Cedar
Floor: Milestone, Osmo, Ipe
- Hybridized acrylic cement by Milestone
- Solid Walnut with Polyx Oil by Osmo
- Decking by Ipe
Joinery: Eagle, Hager
- Aluminum clad by Eagle
- Interior Sliding Doors: #9101 aluminum I-beam track by Hager
- Interior Sliding Doors: #9105 top mount hangers by Hager
Kitchen Equipment: Fisher & Paykel, DCS
- Oven: #OS302 by Fisher & Paykel
- Cooktop #CTD-304 by DCS
- Downdraft Vent: #DD30 by DCS
Walls: Milestone
- Hybridized acrylic cement in Baths by Milestone
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- ground & first floor plans
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- second & third floor plans
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- section 01
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- section 02
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- exploted axo
why do people tend to face seating furniture in the opposite direction of the pretty view?
Or why such a small window in the direction of the pretty view?
It’s not a contemplation place. It’s a house. Where you live. Not where you go there to meditate.
Valid criticisms re: the little windows. But I must say that as a modest project, it should weather alright. I just wish the exterior profile favored one direction (or another), and seem less arbitrary. Orienting a home so that it favors a particular aspect is a natural thing to do for water-side homes, anyway.
This looks like a comfortable house to live in. It is bright, open, and has spaces with a variety of scales. I like the exterior also, except I am not sure how the wood facade will weather in the Pacific North West.
Beautiful, lovely house outside, intelligent plan, too poor furniture.Grats for architects.
Rock Lobster! Lobster rocks!
This is great architecture. Reasoned, thoughtful and deft. I appreciate the combination of regional design with universal values of light and volume. Nice job.