Johnston Architects

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Pointing Dog: Personal touches, including prayer wheels for good wishes, local artwork, and a stairway designed for mindful movement, make the home deeply personal, illuminating our collaborative design process.

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Casita: Originally designed as a studio guest cottage, this prototype of a parametric DADU – which the design firm offers as a customizable pre-designed home with plans – provides a multitude of potential layouts to best meet residents’ needs. The Casita can be componentized with various pre-designed rooms that can be added or subtracted, including bedroom layouts, two different kitchen and bath modules, and even an optional sauna.

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Last Chance: Nestled at the base of Flag Mountain among large granite boulders, the Last Chance house reflects the character and beauty of the surrounding Methow Valley.

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Holly House: The team prioritized environmentally responsible design, demonstrated by the use of fire-resistant elements, sustainable systems, and intentional spatial planning. The home exceeds standard insulation requirements, ensuring high energy efficiency and comfort.

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Pointing Dog: Set on a picturesque stretch of river-meandering land in Mazama, WA, this home blends Rocky Mountain-inspired design with the refined detail of Japanese architecture.

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Gear Loft: The clients’ outdoor gear was cataloged and measured to inform storage requirements, creating solutions to simplify bringing the gear in and out of storage while framing surrounding views.

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Gear Loft: When two Seattle-based outdoor enthusiasts explored the Methow Valley, they knew they wanted to put down roots. But without building their permanent home just yet, they needed a way to accommodate all their outdoor gear and provide shelter for themselves during their visits to the Methow. The solution is a lofted, shed-inspired structure with a tiny footprint.

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Base Camp: This retreat provides distinct zones for action and reflection, while blurring boundaries between indoors and out. The spatial organization of Base Camp allows one to reorient and reconnect with nature between activities.

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Miners Refuge: Renewable and environmentally responsible products were used where possible, the orientation and detailing of the building take solar gain into consideration and efficient mechanical systems combine to make this house a project respectful of its environment.

Johnston Architects was born from a desire to create exceptional built spaces through intelligent, conscientious, and sustainable design. Headquartered in Seattle, JA has staff living and working remotely in Washington’s Methow Valley, as well as Colorado and Michigan. Since JA was established over 33 years ago, the firm has emerged as a premiere architecture and design firm, recognized for our contributions to community-focused, creative and sustainable development throughout the Western States.

JA is a Women-Owned Small Business and was recognized as one of Washington’s Best Companies to Work For in 2021. Our firm is a direct reflection of our values and we are dedicated to promoting diverse voices not only through our work, but in our workplace.

– JA’s staff is 58% women
– 90% of JA’s female architectural staff are licensed
– 2/3 of our Owners/Partners are women
– 67% of JA’s Principals are women

JA is committed to social responsibility and equity, and is part of the JUST program, a voluntary disclosure tool used to measure our social justice initiatives and environmental impact. Since becoming a JUST organization in 2018 and renewing every two years, JA has used this program as a gauge to improve the wellbeing of our employees, strengthen our communities, and evolve our business practices.

Our work is intentionally diverse and includes:

– Single family houses
– Multifamily communities
– Mixed-use residential buildings
– Public libraries & Community centers
– Arts & cultural spaces
– Educational & childcare facilities
– Hospitality spaces

Address:

3131 Western Avenue
Suite 510
Seattle WA 98121

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