Tree House

Tree House, designed by Olson Kundig, is a three-story, 6,500 square-foot residence that offers sweeping views of Lake Washington and Mt. Rainier. Constructed from concrete, steel, glass, and wood, the materials used in this project were intentionally simple, allowing the views and the three-time Dowbuilt client’s art collection to take center stage.

The unique features that set Tree House apart are a response to the steep slope of the hillside it perches upon. Guests enter the residence at street level through an immense board-form concrete tunnel. Building this tunnel and underground entry level required the team to dig down 20 feet, shoring the earth to protect environmentally critical area along the road, before pouring the concrete. A central steel staircase connecting the underground entry to the upper floors was carefully craned in through a large skylight. To allow natural light to permeate from the skylight to the entry level, the staircase features Lucite treads. Traveling up the staircase leads to a cantilevered living room, which branches out from the hillside into the trees, supported by structural steel beams.

Much of the residence was designed around the client’s art collection and reclaimed pieces—including doors, cabinetry, and lighting—that had personal meaning. These carefully chosen pieces, combined with the unique architectural elements and intentional selection of materials, resulted in a residence that is both sophisticated and at home in the trees around it.