Holy Names' Dome

For over 2000 years, the dome has held a privileged position in Western architecture. As the three dimensional expression of the circle, whose geometrical perfection is venerated by cultures world-wide, the dome symbolizes importance more than any other single architectural feature. One of the oldest domes --- and perhaps the most famous -- is the Pantheon in Rome, a temple built during the reign of Caesar Augustus (63 B.C. - 14 A.D.) in honor of twelve of Rome's most important deities. Since then, the geometrically powerful form has lent its geometrical purity to convey importance to a variety of institutions, be they governmental (the Washington State Capitol, Olympia), academic (the Rotunda, the University of Virginia), or ecclesiastical (Saint Peter's, Rome). And, why not? You see a dome on a building, and you know it means business.

Interior of the Pantheon, 16th Century

One institution that was an early adopter of the dome was the nascent Catholic Church; and the dome, as it turned out, was conveniently at hand. Soon after Rome's decline, the Church adopted the Pantheon as a Christian place of worship, and it became an important early church. The Pantheon (and the cache of its dome) enabled the Church to associate itself with ancient Rome, Europe's grandest civilization and greatest engineer-architects. In the following millennia, the dome has found home atop many Catholic instituions in dozens of countries, including Capitol Hill's own Holy Names Academy, a Catholic girl's high school and one of our neighborhood's  most splendid buildings. And while its dome may be the first architectural element to catch one's eye, Holy Names' classically inspired delights continue throughout its original building.

Holy Names' Dome

Although I have only cited Roman influences for Holy Names,  any such reference must recognize the Roman's heritage of Greek ideals of symmetry, proportion, and balance, and that a mastery of these principals was essential to executing good design. Simply put, geometry formed both the intellectual and artistic foundation of their cosmos, and what has since become known as classical design. The classical system of design was so refined and rigorous, that, although I could not write of the exact geometrical relationships of the parts to the whole that govern much of Holy Names' design, just one look at the bulding leads me to believe that the designers nailed it. The Corinthian columns of the portico, in not only their individual scale of capital to shaft, but also of their interrelationship to one another as well as to the pediment -- and of these elements to the dome and the entire building -- reveals the hand of someone well versed in the classical precedents that inspired them.

The Dome and Portico

The Exterior of the Chapel

Remembering that this is a high school (a building type I dare say did not exist in ancient times), and that Holy Names' classically-inspired precedents mostly lend themselves to the exterior, much of the interior is what one may expect of a Seattle high school building of this vintage. Classrooms arrayed along long corridors with period-specific walnut wainscoting, transom windows above the doors, and shoe-box shaped instructional spaces. There are, however, a few surprising interior spaces that differentiate this high school from its secular sisters. The most noteworthy is the Chapel located in the northwest corner of the building, as there is little to divulge its presence from the outside. While more Italian Renaissance inspired than purely classical, it follows in the best traditions of chapels one may find in Apennine Peninsula. Quiet at the time of my visit, I was assured by my docent that its beauty was well appreciated by the students, be they current or past; the chapel being a popular and suitable venue for alumnae weddings. Note the columns defining the side aisles and supporting the gallery, the design governed by those same codified rules as that of the aforementioned exterior.

The Chapel

Another surprise came when I learned that when originally founded, Holy Names housed many of its students in rooms that have since become faculty offices. At a population of faculty and staff that currently exceeds 800, the number of young ladies living in the building was most likely small compared to today's overall daily enrollment, but their presence must have lent the building and grounds a slightly different, and more lively character. Much like the exterior, arches and classical columns populate the interior spaces; for example, in both the entry foyer and the library. In the library the arches spring from beams that are used to span the relatively large space, adding a nice rhythm and ordering system that is reflected by the placement of the windows and of the bookshelves.

The Former Dormitories

The Library

All of Holy Names' grandeur would be diminished were its building and grounds not meticulously maintained. Sure, attendance at the school comes at a premium that affords the funds to care for the campus, but that should not impair one's ability to enjoy it. As a neighbor to the building and grounds for over ten years, I appreciate having it close at hand, its manicured lawns and huge elms as accessible to me as to her students, adding to Capitol Hill an unexpected and graceful campus to our catalog of great architecture and landscapes.

Capitol Hill's Urban Alleys

Capitol Hill is fortunate to have an extensive system of alleys. They provide a home for utilities, trash and recycling, garage entries, as well as alternative routes through which to get from here to there. Having previously written on Capitol Hill's eastern, single-family-home dominated alleys, I decided to explore those on the Hill's denser commercial and apartment building inhabited landscapes.

Although I was surprised -- and somewhat disappointed -- that the number of alleys were fewer than I had found on the Hill's Eastern flanks, the west side’s more urban character and frequency of use -- combined with a relative dearth of greenery and crisper, built boundaries -- captivated me for the better part of a mid-winter morning and early afternoon. Another strikingly different character of these alleys from those to the east were their unobstructed and distant vistas, making them even more inviting than their eastern siblings. 

The aforementioned differences aside, our alleys crossing at mid-block and between primary streets offers one a new prospect on otherwise familiar terrain. One such revelation was when I discovered the new location for our much beloved and recently displaced Bauhaus Coffee; perhaps the banner announcing its temporary home had been up for some time prior to my seeing it that chilly morning, but my new alley-route gave me a frontal view of its new digs, enabling me to learns this bit of welcome news. Also grabbing my attention at this particular location was the CAPHILL mural. Inherent to their utilitarian role alleyways are populated with many blank walls making them inviting canvases.

It is not only within the immediate confines of the alleyways that one discovers fresh views; a chance break in a building can give one a new perspective on familiar terrain. Making the instance below-pictured quite interesting, of course, was that I was only able to see the 'top' of a familiar building and not the street below.

Despite these new, distant vistas, the best experience offered by our alleyways remains being immersed within the alley environment itself. It is within their more immediate confines that the sensual qualities of the alleys are best experienced; a sensuality at least in part due to the the less ordered, less refined, and less dignified environment exhibited by its counterpart -- city streets. Alleys are a kind of Neanderthal street, evoking the same fascination garnered by the proto-model of a more evolved descendant. An evolutionary analogy aside, I find the differences between entrances on the alley side (where one needs chain-link fence and concertina wire) and the street side revealing of the alley-street dichotomy. Even where one finds a slightly more hospitable doorway, it has a patina and for forboding that distinguishes it from a door that one sees on the building's street side.

Upon assembling the images for this post it became apparent that I was most attracted (again) to garage doors. Upon reflection, I suppose it is a combination of factors, including when they are seen en mass, their staccato appearance leading to aesthetically satisfying moments. Whether or not each entry precisely matches its neighbor, the mesmerizing effect of the repetition is hard to ignore. Admittedly I might be horrified to see such garage entries on our city streets, but I do take great pleasure in seeing them in our alleyways, with the two  below examples presenting a compelling affirmation.

The top example of the above two images shows a concrete deck above a series of continuous, open garages, its length emphasized by an delicate projecting concrete shelf and almost a dozen concrete columns. The garage has a rawness that most would find offensive if it were on the street, but in the alley its gently arcing form elicits admiration (not to mention the additional grace imparted by the quite transparent guardrail on top, unfortunately verboten by today's building codes). The second image is an interesting counterpoint to the first, with each of the garage doors forming a unique identity for its contents, safely held from view. The gentle stepping of the openings imply a segmented diagonal at the door heads, mirroring the gentle rise of the alley paving, while the scalloping of the concrete at the garage door thresholds is formed as if from the lapping of waves on a beach. It is hard to believe any designer could have consciously arrived at such an elegant composition; affirming the latent beauty to be revealed in the most functional of solutions.

Another noteworthy, similar quality exists where a more regular ordering has been compromised due to the lack of stewardship inherent in the alley environment. As I have previously written, alleys do not elicit the care that our streets do being as they are more private and utilitarian. This shift in our expectations of decorum between public and private realms allows alleys to suffer longer periods of inattentiveness, as pictured below, and often leads to rugged beauty that one would be hard pressed to consciously create.

Even within my romanticized notion of Capitol Hill's alleys I was taken aback seeing the alley below. Had I not experienced this place myself, I would have thought it was a driveway on a rural road leading to an old farmhouse -- not a driveway serving a building in the Northwest's densest and most populated neighborhood. Given the fevered-pitch of current development in Seattle, I can only hope that such quirky moments in our neighborhood remain to be seen for years to come by my fellow alley enthusiasts.

Despite this enthusiasm for our alley's predominately unkempt environment, I am just as quick to revel in those alleys where care and craft is unexpectadly on display. From the assertive balconies placed on the rather restrained apartment building pictured below to the lovely stainless steel sheet metal wall, there are  examples to be discovered where the alley side of a building is given as much thought as its street side.

Among my favorite of these 'more proper' alley facades is this darling, mid-century (behemoth of a) wall pictured below, its more utilitarian location being betrayed by a visually pleasing composition of the otherwise prosaic concrete block.

Propriety extends, on occasion, to where one may even find the back of the building being quite similar to what one would expect to see in the front, as in the below example. With the exception of a rather diminutive door there is a little to distinguish the back of this apartment building from what one may expect to see on its front, with a small entry gate and fence, and nicely painted and ordered windows.

Although they are certainly the norm, front and back distinctions are at time impossible to apply to our streets and alleys. I was pleasantly surprised to find this handsome little home faces no street at all and is wholly contained within an alley; a rare building indeed and one I hope to find more of as I continue to explore Capitol Hill's alleys -- and where I hope to bump into others, camera, sketch book, or simply curiosity deployed.

Seattle Central Waterfront Schematic Design Presentation

There was a good turnout at last night's schematic design presentation by New York City based landscape architect James Corner, the Central Waterfront's lead designer. The presentation was at Seattle Center's Fisher Pavilion, and it marks the closing of the schematic design phase for the project.

Mr. Corner spent about 1.5 hours reviewing the concepts and execution of this massive endeavor, of which Schemata Workshop has a significant role in. Other Seattle-based team members we have worked closely with include Berger Partnership, CH2MHill, Shiels | Obletz | Johnsen (SOJ), Dark|Light, Greenbusch Group, Rushing, and Bright Engineering. The entire waterfront team has almost 50 consultants.

In addition to the slides presentation by Jim, there were many graphically compelling boards, comment cards, project fact sheets, as well as the model of the Central Waterfront. EnviroIssues did a commendable job organizing the event.

It was a good time to connect with other design team members, the client, and the community at large as we together marked this important milestone. From festive to serious, most audience members were quite engaged, and seemed to like what they saw. Below are Andrew Barash (CH2MHill), Guy Michaelsen (Berger Partnerhsip), and Ethan Bernau (SOJ) enjoying a lighter moment.

We are excited this phase in reaching its conclusion, and look forward to the next phase of design on the Union Street connection, Pier 62/63, and the Pool Barge. Thanks to all Schemata team members, past and present, who have put in great effort to help us realize this important milestone: Karen Branick, Jeff Busby, Scott Nye, Peggy Heim, Teng Teng, Emily Woods, Katherine Willis, and Eli Gardner.

Have a visit to the projects portion of our website for details on our design efforts to date.

Hanjicraft Exhibit Workshop

On the first weekend of this new year Schemata Workshop was privileged to collaborate with Sawhorse Revolution on a Winter Skills Workshop. Sawhorse Revolution is an outreach program aimed at high school aged youth which builds leadership, responsibility, maturity, and self-reliance through hands-on education in carpentry, construction and craft. To learn more about Sawhorse Revolution and their mission a link is provided here. Workshop attendees included 3 administrators/builders from Sawhorse Revolution, 16 youth volunteers, and 3 volunteers from Schemata Workshop. A special thanks to Coyote Central who was gracious enough to let us cover the entirety of their space with sawdust for the day.     

The Skills Workshop was coordinated to build a series of shelves and display boxes for a Hanjicraft art exhibit which will display the work of local artist Young Ok Kim. Hanjicraft, which dates back to well before 105 AD, is an intricate Korean art form which was used to tell stories and keep history at a time when communication was very limited. For more information about the history of Hanjicraft, exhibit and workshop dates, and examples of Young Ok Kim's work, follow the link here. An example of a Hanjicraft side table made by Young Ok Kim is below. 

Copyright 2014 Schemata Workshop

The Skills Workshop was organized into two shifts: the morning shift and the afternoon shift. The morning shift began with a brief introduction to the workshop and commenced with breaking into small groups to itemize the pieces necessary to build each box or shelf. Each box consisted of a 2" x 2" wood frame and a 1/2" birch plywood skin and each shelf consisted of 1.25" poplar wood boards. Groups then developed a strategy to economize materials and then began cutting the necessary pieces.   

In regards to the shelves the afternoon shift involved preparing smaller boards for joining by using a biscuit joiner. The smaller boards were then glued together and sanded to hide indication of their union. Once dried the boards were drilled with a drill press and hanger bolts were installed. The shelves were then stained to better match wood in the existing exhibit space. 

For the display box teams the afternoon shift consisted of nailing the frames together and skinning the frames with the plywood pieces. Care was taken to make sure that the boxes were built plumb and square. Once assembled the boxes were painted white to neutralize their appearance in the gallery.   

The tools learned during the workshop were the biscuit joiner, table saw, chop saw, circular saw, hand-held belt sander, drill press, and pneumatic nailer. Lesson of the day: measure twice, measure again and cut once!

Young Ok Kim's Hanjicraft exhibit will be will open on Thursday February 6th at the SRG Gallery and will run through the end of March. For more information about the SRG Gallery follow link here.   

Group Health's Hidden Charms

Hospitals typically are not architecturally endearing structures. A hospital campus can even less so. Designed by the same type of large, corporate architecture firms that reflect the organization of the hospitals themselves, this pair of leviathans typically has more pressing matters than fitting neatly into their surroundings. The demands of programmatic efficiencies and healthful interior environments makes the focus of such institutions decidedly inward, their mission dictating priorities that better serve their patients and staff, oftentimes at the expense of enhancing their surrounding exterior environment. This is not the case on Capitol Hill where our own Group Health Cooperative has (at least part of) their campus providing a genuine attempt to be a good neighbor.

The campus's more successful portions (not all are created equally), Group Health's buildings and landscape never quite shed their institutional character, but they are successful at softening their edges and in being supportive of the neighborhood's street and open space vitality. Some of the buildings are -- dare I say -- even urban, mixed use buildings with retail at the ground floor. This is easy to take for granted on Capitol Hill, but the inclusion of retail in a medical building adds to their management tasks and is at least a minor distraction to their health-care providing mission. The above image highlights their most successful attempt of urban neighborliness, even if in execution it lacks the funkiness of the rest of 15th Avenue. The way-finding signage in the upper right of the photo (part of a re-branding effort some years back) is tastefully done, with its design being found on all of the campus's entries.

An institution that has grown over many decades, their is a mix of architectural styles and spatial juxtapositions. Pictured above is a now vacated street that formerly served a parking garage entrance (now abandoned). When paired with the more recent, non-medical development beyond, one is presented with an exterior enclosure that is rare on the Hill. My being an architect is perhaps the only excuse with finding the building at the upper right visually pleasing, its pre-cast panels and ribs, a respectful expression of that materials structural and manufacturing process. A pavilion-like building along 16th (below) is an even better example of this tectonic, its folded plate roof gently resting on an expressed concrete frame, infilled with massive pieces of glass.

While these few buildings may prompt a bit of attention from those of us who are fans of this ilk of design, the landscape of the campus probably has the greatest appeal. The east lawn has a series of follies that not only bring daylight to the hospital's subterranean levels, but also allow for exiting from those spaces. This lawn lacks the crowds of Capitol Hill's other public open spaces, but it nonetheless does offer a bit of whimsy and a welcome bit of strolling space for hospital users. On more than one occasion, I have seen neighborhood children taking advantage of the slide (myself included). With the addition of Bakery Nouveau across the street at 15th and John, I have found this lawn a sunny place to enjoy one of the yummy offerings of the bakery.

As is often the case with these posts, the desire to write about a space prompts greater exploration of it. While I had noticed and enjoyed the above places, I had never ventured into the enclosed courtyard in the center of the campus. I was rewarded in my curiosity by experiencing a serene space, gently dappled in light and sheltered by a nice mix of deciduous and coniferous trees.

There are a few, masonry architectural fragments are most likely remnants for the previous building that stood on this spot; a pity it is no longer extant as it appears to have been a building of some character. Spaces such as theses seem invaluable to a hospital, as they are an easily accessible refuge for patients desiring to take a moment’s break from the sanitary environment of the hospital. And even thought it was empty this particular morning, I can imagine times when it is filled with patients and their family members enjoying its quiet atmosphere.

The nicest surprise of the morning was the discovery in the courtyard of a George Tsutakawa sculpture. Like many, I am a big fan of his work and have enjoyed similar pieces on display at the Central Library and Central Waterfront. At first I was curious about why such a delightful piece was tucked out of view, hidden as it were from all but the inquisitive. Upon further reflection, its location is just right; in a place of quite a repose where its elegance can be best appreciated.
 

In the larger context of Capitol Hill, Group Health is a valuable asset to have. While its scale and visual dominance of this part of the Hill can make it appear ill suited for the rest of the neighborhood, these little landscape and architectural gems certainly take the edge off. Additionally, being a frequent patron of the many businesses that are near Group Health, I cannot help but think that the businesses along 15th from Denny to Mercer would struggle -- and some not even exist -- if it were not for the thousands who pass through Group Health’s doors on a daily basis.