AiR was w|c studio’s first speculative project. Located in a rapidly transforming neighborhood with a healthy arts community, we reconfigured the standard building type to include a live-in artist studio on the ground floor instead of a parking garage. An easement was negotiated with the neighboring property to share a driveway to the back of the lot (there was no alley access) freeing up building square footage for rentable income.

The property commanded a beautiful view of the Olympic Mountains and the Seattle skyline but only from the top floor. This presented a challenge as typically the top floor is occupied by bedrooms and therefore would not get the appreciation it deserved. We decided to re-locate the living space to the top level with a deck overlooking the city. The bedrooms were located on the middle level and the artist studio located on the ground level where easy street access was readily available.