BCRA Design

BCRA was hired to design a 6,500 square foot custom home sitting atop a 100 foot cliff with 180 degree views of both the Tacoma Narrows Bridge and Gig Harbor.  In order to accommodate the stunning views, floor to ceiling walls of glass were incorporated into the design. Typical wood construction could not achieve the transparent views that the owners were looking for, so the option of two, steel moment frame systems were utilized to fight lateral, seismic and heavy wind conditions while maximizing the view.

One of the client’s goals was to have indoor/outdoor Mediterranean-style living in a Pacific Northwest setting suitable for entertaining. An open concept design, with the large living room having a connection to both the kitchen and outdoor living space, served as an ideal floor plan for having large gatherings controlled in public spaces, separating any flow into private spaces.  One subtle design feature that gave the connection between the indoor/outdoor spaces was the use of stained concrete flooring and oversized sliding doors.  The heated stained concrete flooring from the living room and dining room spaces to the outdoor covered patio, as well as using large oversized slider doors, helps to maximize the experience of bringing the indoor spaces to the outside, all helped to address the client’s needs.

The architects and structural engineers were challenged with significant height restrictions and posed many obstacles for the floor plan design, including placing the main living space in the daylight basement. In order to accomplish this, a lower-level entrance to the home with a terracing stairway had to be utilized.  A well-lit walkway, Mediterranean-style plants and shrubbery suitable for the Northwest, as well as a multi-level water feature, were used to accent the entryway.

The architects on the project were asked to design a unique space to accommodate the homeowner's diverse wine collection.  The sunken wine room not only showcases over 1,000 bottles of wine, its placement off the entry of the home with a glass wall and specialty lighting to works to highlight the collection.