GreenDwellingSeattle

In 1869 Norman B. Judkins added a new development to young Seattle’s plots. Norman wanted to be well remembered for his contribution and in turn named several of the streets after himself including: Norman St., B St., Judkins St., Addition St., Town St., and Seattle St. Only Norman and Judkins remain but his legacy has lasted in Judkins Park, covering the blocks between I-90 to the South, Yesler to the North, 20th Ave. to the West, and MLK Jr. Blvd. to the East.

Judkins Park has known many hard times since its founding in 1869 and the community has experienced a number of frustrating setbacks over the years. This sense of neighborhood frustration became clearly evident when residents who felt they couldn’t get support from the city to address many of the problems in the area formed the “Judkins Rejected Community Council”. Since the mid 90’s much has changed. The “rejected” has been removed from the Judkins Community Council and businesses and residents are working hard to promote a healthy, diverse, vibrant neighborhood.

One of the basic tenets of green building is the idea that through thoughtful design and development we can help to promote not only healthy, efficient homes but sustainable communities as well. Dwell Development takes their responsibility to community and the environment very seriously and their latest project at 1105 23rd Avenue South is clear evidence of that. For Dwell, their choice of development sites starts with an evaluation of the neighborhood they intend to build in. The walkability, proximity to public transit, sense of community, and increased density potential are all important factors in the decision making process.

It is the blend of high design, limited resource consumption, efficiency, community contribution, and quality construction that defines Dwell Developments work. Anthony Maschmedt, Dwell’s Founder sums up the intent of their projects well when he says: “I develop projects in the same neighborhoods that I grew up in and that my kids are now growing up in. Creating a healthy community is very important to me.”

Judkins Park is peppered with an ever-increasing number of development projects that are driving positive change in the area. Once known as the neighborhood that Seattle forgot, it is now experiencing a renaissance of sorts not just in the building of a wide variety of new homes, but also in the motivation and organization of its residents that are at last finding the center of their community.

GreenDwellingSeattle wants to help people understand and connect with the value and benefits of green building.  To that end we have dedicated ourselves to exploring all the   creative ways we can provide information and services that will form these connections, create expectations, and keep innovation moving forward towards what tomorrow will bring.  The Seattle Green Building series is one of the ways we have found to do this through a collection of informal case studies on our blog.  The basic gist is that with bi-weekly posts we highlight a particular green building project and follow each step of it’s construction, attempting to take what can be a mystifying process for many and spell it out in human terms that we all can understand and learn from regardless of our depth of knowledge.  We will follow the whole process from foundation to finishes, going far beyond simply the construction of a home and delving into the connections that exist between these homes and the people and communities that surround them.    

 We are very excited to be heading to our next jobsite where we will be following the latest urban infill project by Seattle Design + Build firm Dwell Development.  Founded in 2005, Dwell quickly established a reputation for cutting edge, livable designs, attention to the environmental impact of building, and an understanding of the need for homes to be a positive contribution to the neighborhoods they are built in.

 Dwell prides themselves on being very selective in the projects they undertake; believing that there is great value in builder fewer, better homes that are located in walkable neighborhoods with easy access to public transportation.  In Seattle that has meant focusing the majority of their building in and around Columbia City, Beacon Hill, Judkins Park, and the Rainier Valley.  As this is being written Seattle’s new Light Rail system is beginning service, once again connecting Seattle’s Southern neighborhoods to downtown via an electric train.  The South end built it’s foundation from a rail connection at the turn of the 20th Century and it will be very interesting to see how this reconnection will continue the revitalization of this already vibrant part of the city.      

 Dwell’s founder Anthony Maschmedt came to the development business over 17 years ago.  Anthony wants his homes to be the essence of good design; blending layout, functionality, and efficiency into homes that are at the same time consistently contemporary and as singularly individual as the people that live in them.  With the addition of project manager Roland Williams in 2006 and architect Julian Weber in 2007 Dwell has a trio of well seasoned individuals in place ready to bring hope to the idea that we can increase the density in our urban neighborhoods with homes that have less impact, are well connected, and a lasting value.

 Green building is a moving target of opportunities to reduce material requirements, improve energy efficiency, and to shape the future of our homes and neighborhoods.  We feel the first step in establishing a sense of value in these opportunities is the understanding of the benefits they represent to us as individuals and as communities.  We will be regularly posting about this project and hope that you will keep up to date with them by subscribing to our RSS feed.  Tell your friends and family, refer to past Seattle Green Building posts, and send your questions and comments.  It is our pleasure to share the great projects and resources with hopes that it will be inspiration for you to look a little deeper.