Brandon Nicholson and Shanna Kovalchick, otherwise known as the N and the K in NK Architects, will bring a pretty unique and forward-thinking project before the design review board this evening for a potential recommendation.
The project, called 11th & Republican Passive House Apartments, will combine an historic house that has been retrofitted to meet Passive House standard with a new four-story Passive House structure right next door. The two structures will be connected by a solar rooftop array that enables the building to reach Net Zero Energy status.
All-told, the project will result in 20 net-zero housing units, 12 in the new building and eight in the house. The units will be mostly studios with some one-bedrooms included. Units in the new building will include private patios that overlook Broadway Hill Park.
In order to make the new structure happen as planned, they’ll have to relocate the house to the southeast corner of the lot before adding new units and retrofitting the entire building.
The combined structure would become one of Seattle’s first market-rate multifamily apartment buildings to achieve Passive House certification.