When planning The Commons at Ballard, developer Henbart and architect Studio Meng Strazzara had to contend with a unique site in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. The lot has a three-sided frontage, so the designers prioritized incorporating the patterning language of the surrounding blocks. The goal was to connect effectively with the neighborhood character present on each side of the building, which included a park on one side, a public library on another, and a commercial thoroughfare on the third.
Project Details
Location: Seattle
Developer: Henbart
Architect: Studio Meng Strazzara
Builder: W.G. Clark
Opened: November 2016
Number of units: 84
Unit mix: Studios and one- and two-bedrooms
Rents: $1,018 to $4,395
When the project opened in the fall of 2016, it had expansive windows and porches facing the park; wider sidewalks and generous canopies around the residential and retail entrances to encourage people to stop and gather on the library side; and retail spaces that wrap around the building, drawing pedestrians from the east and mirroring businesses across the street, on the commercial-corridor side.
And, of course, The Commons at Ballard has plenty of green amenities. To reduce the demand on utility-provided electricity, photovoltaic panels were installed to cover 3.4% of the yearly electrical costs. Also, more than a quarter of the site was restored with vegetation and landscaped terraces featuring drought-resistant plants, and a 20,000-gallon rainwater-collection-and-reuse system was installed to meet 100% of the building’s irrigation needs.
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