The Lakehouse project reimagines lakeside living by combining sustainability with modern design principles. This home was tailored to maximize functionality, natural light, and comfort while integrating harmoniously with the surrounding Pacific Northwest environment.
Designing a sustainable lakefront residence
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My Role
Lead Project Designer
Team
1 Project Designer (Myself)
3 Engineers (Structural, MEP)
1 Interior Designer
1 General Contractor
Design Timeline
5 months
This is a contextual image of the Lake Tapps House with Mt. Rainer in the background
Limited lakefront access, steep terrain challenges, site shape, and complex sustainability goals made this 5,000 SF lakeside home design a challenege.
Clients were struggling to envision how their diverse needs could be met within the site's constraints, a long skinny site. When I joined the project as design lead, I saw an opportunity for how the property could interact with its natural surroundings.
How might we help the clients achieve their lifestyle goals while preserving the natural landscape and maximizing sustainability?
What will create a seamless indoor-outdoor living experience while meeting specific functional requirements?
Prior lakefront home designs in the area focused heavily on maximizing views to the lake but lacked deep understanding of sustainable integration and site preservation all while connecting to the entire surroundings. We needed to better understand how the family would actually use the space to make informed design decisions.
The clients wanted to custom build a modern lakefront home that balanced professional athletic space with family living on a challenging site, requiring innovative architectural solutions that maintained site integrity while meeting complex spatial and functional requirements.
Core Objectives
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Design an intuitive spatial flow that supports multiple usage patterns
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Maintain visual connections to lake views while ensuring privacy
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Create sustainable solutions within site constraints that could adapt to family needs
Project Stakeholders
Internal
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Architectural Team
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Engineering Teams
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Interior Design
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Construction Management
External
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Homeowners (Client)
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County Planning Department
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Environmental Agencies
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Material and Product Companies
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Click the play button to interact with 3D model, once loaded click 3D slide on bottom left
Challenge: Complex User Needs in Constrained Environments
Like digital products, this project required solving for multiple user personas with competing needs:
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The basketball coach, the client's partner, needed professional basketball training space for private lessons.
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The contractor, our client, wanted optimal outdoor flow and a view to nature from any space inside the house.
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Both needed a cohesive living experience, strong outdoor relations, and space for a family of five.
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Additionally, the client wanted to maximize living indoor and outdoor amentinites to show their house to potential customers in construction.
Architectural Design Process is similar to User-Center Design Methodology
My architectural design process mirrors the product design lifecycle: from user research and site analysis to understand behavior patterns, through creating intuitive space hierarchies that guide movement, to iterative prototyping and stakeholder feedback. Like designing seamless pathways from the basketball court to the lakefront, I apply systematic problem-solving to create intuitive experiences that elegantly meet diverse user needs.
Dicovery & Research
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Conducted extensive client interviews to understand daily routines and needs
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Analyzed site constraints through technical studies
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Researched building codes and environmental requirements
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Created user journey maps for different family scenarios
Design Strategy
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Developed information architecture for space planning
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Created user flows and bubble diagrams for key living patterns
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Established design system for material and structural choices
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Built rapid prototypes through 3D modeling
Pre-Implementation
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Iterative design process with continuous stakeholder feedback
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Cross-functional collaboration with engineering teams
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Technical documentation and specification development
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Quality assurance through permit review process
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This is a view when approaching the entry or front of the house
This is a corner view of the backside of the house that faces Lake Tapps
This is another corner view of the backside of the house that faces Lake Tapps
User-Centered Approach
This is a construction photo of the entry hallway
This is a photo of the entry hallway with furniture after completed construction
This is a photo looking down from the second floor on the main staircase
Implementation: Bringing Design to Reality
My role bridged conceptual design with technical execution, managing the complex transition from 3D models to construction reality. The process required meticulous coordination with multiple engineering disciplines and contractors, similar to how product designers work with developers and technical teams to bring digital products to life.
Technical Documentation & Systems Integration:
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Created comprehensive construction documents detailing every aspect of the build
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Coordinated with structural engineers to develop the floating staircase and foundation systems
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Collaborated with MEP engineers to seamlessly integrate HVAC, electrical, and plumbing systems
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Developed custom window system details to maximize views while maintaining energy efficiency
Construction Phase Management:
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Reviewed and approved shop drawings for custom elements
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Made real-time design refinements based on site conditions
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Managed document updates and construction amendments
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Facilitated communication between contractors and consultants
Takeaways
The architectural design process has uniquely prepared me for user-centered digital product design. Just as I translated complex client needs into physical spaces through iterative design and technical documentation, I approach digital products by transforming user requirements into intuitive interfaces.
The rigorous process of coordinating between structural, mechanical, and aesthetic requirements in architecture mirrors the balance of user experience, technical constraints, and business goals in digital products. My experience managing the intricate dance of client needs, engineering constraints, and construction realities has honed my ability to create holistic solutions that work at both strategic and detailed levels - a crucial skill in user experience design. This architectural foundation, grounded in human-centered design thinking and technical problem-solving, provides me with a unique perspective in creating digital experiences that are both beautiful and functional.
Want to see more?
I am happy to talk through my research and design work of the Lake House project during a scheduled call.