There’s nothing more satisfying as an architect than closing out a project and watching excited residents take occupancy of their building. We had the pleasure of doing just that last month when we completed an annex for the Chi Psi Fraternity at the University of Washington. Chi Psi’s membership had outgrown their 1924 home, affectionately known as The Lodge. Despite extensive renovations in 2010, the near-century-old building was in need of additional space to house fraternity members who were living off-site.
The goal of the annex was to house these members and provide additional amenity spaces. One of the challenges of the project was a tight site that resulted in a tall building with a small footprint. The project consists of 15 student rooms spread over 4 floors. Each floor contains a full bathroom with and laundry facilities on the ground floor. Each student living in the annex has a private room with a built-in bed and storage unit. The annex’s location adjacent to the northeast corner of the existing Chi Psi building places residents of the annex at an easy distance from the kitchen, dining area, and library contained in the existing lodge. It’s location also encloses a courtyard and sports court for basketball, summer barbecues, and other activities. The contractor for the project, Carlisle Classic Homes, was able to complete the project in time for the students to move in for the ‘16-‘17 school year.
