PYATOK | Project Work

HINOKI APARTMENTS AT YESLER TERRACE Seattle Housing Authority

Seattle, Washington Affordable Housing

Completed in 1940, Yesler Terrace was Washington State’s first public housing project and the nation’s first racially-integrated housing development. The initial structures were two-story garden apartments arranged across the 30-acre site that would house residents for the next 70+ years. After the turn of the millennium, the Seattle Housing Authority began plans to redevelop Yesler Terrace into a more dense mixed-use, mixed-income community that could accommodate one-to-one replacement of all the existing affordable units in addition to thousands of new homes.

Hinoki is the fifth affordable housing project to be completed as part of the phased redevelopment. The block-sized 136-unit project consists of three midrise segments, each with its own character, arranged on a sloped parcel around a ground-level all-ages courtyard. The six-story west wing contains the main entrance of the building and exhibits a patterned field of windows and reflective siding. The seven-story north wing sculpts a street frontage along Yesler Way with a rhythm of stoops and bays. The six-story east wing interacts with an adjacent market-rate building. The courtyard is open on its south edge, elevated above grade and overlooking a community garden and a small park. The residences mix flats and townhomes ranging from 1-4 bedrooms. Resident and childcare amenities are included at the ground level, and a ground-floor community space anchors the block at Yesler Way and 10th Ave.

As Associate Design Architect, PYATOK supported Seattle-based HEWITT in project planning, conceptual design, and unit design for this project. Previously, PYATOK supported design of the Yesler Terrace Phase 3, Red Cedar Apartments.

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