The Reserve Cottages began as an investigation of alternatives to develop an underutilized residential lot in the Richmond Beach neighborhood of Shoreline. The 20,045 SF lot with a small existing home had not been graded, and possessed a knoll covered in relatively undisturbed native woodland. Large homes, the norm in the area, would certainly have meant grading and removing the majority of trees to achieve building pads and site access. Wanting to preserve the site's qualities while still making a return, the oxymoronic vision of the owners became increased housing density to preserve the site's grove of coastal forest. Cottage housing fit the sustainable bill, resulting in a cluster of six detached dwelling units under 1,000 SF, located around a common open space with parking limited to the front of the site. This meant the architect could locate the homes to work with existing grades and around large existing conifers — the forested knoll could be preserved.

True to our low impact approach, the team also committed to finding storm water control alternatives rather than carving sub-grade detention structures into the site. Infiltration proved a workable strategy with careful consideration of soils, surface water flow, and the design of simple conveyance details, such as rain chain downspouts leading to small wells around each cottage. The landscaping proposal utilizing native plant species with a knack for absorbing and transpiring water, brought us full circle with the enhanced replacement of a wonderfully varied and inviting native forest understory.